The different timescales versus the regulatory framework and public acceptance

Both introductory presentations and the ensuing discussions suggested that one key issue ultimately underlies any consideration about timescales and regulation: the issue of how to balance information relative to short- and distant-time risks and hence how to address the question of compliance judgement in different time frames. 'Can we judge in the same way an impact occurring now and in 50 000 or 1 million years?' was thus a central question for discussion in this group. This issue was tackled from three different points of view: ethics, science and public acceptance. (authors)