Present Risks, Future Lives: Social Freedom and Environmental Sustainability Policies

One topic of growing interest in the debate on intergenerational justice is duty to respect freedom future generations. consideration favor such a that decisions present generations will affect range be available people. As consequence, generations’ direct their lives may importantly restricted can seen as taking people’s into hands and disempowering them. This article defends idea have an obligation sustain certain threshold for members alike. It argues we should regard sustainability policies way redistribute across different starts by explaining centrality social conceive moral persons, then explains how understood object redistribution. imposing some risks—such resource depletion or destruction ecosystem—on generations, push below acceptable threshold. The paper concludes with examples this focus offer guidance selecting justifying policies—for example, measures conserving biodiverse environments—even when it not clear they directly contribute well-being persons.