I think that if only we could make everyone a lot more cautious (about the right things, namely, about effects on the global situation, not effects on one's personal situation) we'd be in much better shape than we actually are.

I think the precautionary principle is useless. It's easy to see why when reading books such as, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families, which describes the 1994 Rwandan genocide. My motto is, "The only way out is through."