Future generations are cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations, and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The moral patienthood of future generations has been argued for extensively among philosophers, and is thought of as an important, neglected cause by the effective altruism community. The term is often used in describing the conservation or preservation of cultural heritage or natural heritage.
The sustainability and climate movements have adopted the concept as a tool for enshrining principles of long-term thinking into law. The concept is often connected to indigenous thinking as a principle for ecological action, such as the seven generation concept attributed to Iroquois tradition.
The term refers to the impact which the currently living generation has on the world which future generations will live in, the world they will inherit from humans living today. This concept is referred to in the most widely quoted definition of sustainability as a part of the concept sustainable development, is that of the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20, (1987): "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
The use of future generations in international law is in part recognized by the Charter of the United Nations which focuses on preventing the "scourge of war" on future generations. With the publication of UN Secretary-General's landmark Our Common Agenda report in September 2021, there has been a renewed interest in understanding, action for, and representing future generations in the multilateral system.
The financial state of people in future generations is widely debated. However, a study in 2022 revealed that a majority of people believe that the financial state of future generations will be worse than their current state.
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L'objectif général de ce cours est de permettre aux étudiant-e-s:
de saisir les questions environnementales en tant que questions éthiques;
de clarifier le point de vue à partir duquel apparaît leur
This course examines growth from various angles: economic growth, growth in the use of resources, need for growth, limits to growth, sustainable growth, and, if time permits, population growth and gro
Intergenerational equity in economic, psychological, and sociological contexts, is the idea of fairness or justice between generations. The concept can be applied to fairness in dynamics between children, youth, adults, and seniors. It can also be applied to fairness between generations currently living and future generations. Conversations about intergenerational equity occur across several fields. It is often discussed in public economics, especially with regard to transition economics, social policy, and government budget-making.
Climate justice is a concept that addresses the just division, fair sharing, and equitable distribution of the burdens of climate change and its mitigation and responsibilities to deal with climate change. It has been described as encompassing "a set of rights and obligations, which corporations, individuals and governments have towards those vulnerable people who will be in a way significantly disproportionately affected by climate change.
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. On Earth, it includes sunlight, atmosphere, water, land, all minerals along with all vegetation, and wildlife. Natural resources are part of humanity's natural heritage or protected in nature reserves. Particular areas (such as the rainforest in Fatu-Hiva) often feature biodiversity and geodiversity in their ecosystems.
Explores intergenerational responsibility, emphasizing the impact of current actions on future generations and the evaluation of a country's wealth in terms of different types of capital.
Explores historical precursors, collapse of fisheries, caring for future generations, key concepts, Brundtland Report, and Earth Summit outcomes.
Explores the origins and principles of sustainable development, emphasizing the importance of balancing economic growth with environmental protection and social equity.
In the face of geopolitical threats in Artsakh, the preservation of Armenia’s epigraphic heritage has become a mission of both historical and cultural urgency. This project delves deep into Armenian inscriptions, employing advanced digital tools and strate ...
This document aims to help ensure consistent use of wellbeing in all work packages and activities of SWICE (Sustainable Wellbeing for the Individual and the Collectivity in the Energy transition). Sustainability is usually defined as a practice that “meets ...
SWICE (Sustainable Wellbeing for the Individual and the Collectivity in the Energy transition)2023
SWICE (Sustainable Wellbeing for the Individual and the Collectivity in the Energy transition) aims to answer: how to improve wellbeing for all with a much lower energy use? Wellbeing is a state of thriving, which involves full participation in society, a ...