David Gee, Science, Policy, and Emerging Issues
United Kingdom
Mr. Gee is a Visiting Fellow, Brunel University, London; and a Fellow with the Collegium Ramazzini. He has worked at the interface of science and policymaking in the fields of occupational health and the environment, both in the UK with trade unions and NGOs, and as an international civil servant. Graduating in politics from York University, UK, in 1968, he worked for the AUEW, 1970-3, then at the Trades Union Congress, where he was responsible for developing and rolling out the national programme of Safety Reps 10-day training courses, 1974-78, before taking the new post, National Health and Safety Officer, at the GMB union (1978-88). He then became Director of Friends of the Earth, E &W (1989-91) before being a freelance consultant and TV doc consultant/presenter, e.g., C 4’s “Our Backyard” series.
Between 1995 and 2012 he worked at the European Environment Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen culminating in being Senior Adviser on Science, Policy and Emerging Issues and working on eco-tax reform; scientific uncertainty & the precautionary (“foresight”) principle; children’s risks from environmental hazards; causality; hazardous chemicals; and EMF.
David initiated and co-edited, with over eighty expert authors, both volumes of the influential “Late lessons from early warnings” reports (EEA, 2001, 2013), some of whose chapters he also authored, e.g. “More or Less Precaution?”
These EEA reports use thirty-four case studies prominent environmental and health issues of the last one hundred years to synthesise lessons & insights on science, precaution, and technological innovation.