What duties do we owe to future generations?

In the last days and weeks, the JAI team has been earnestly working on summarizing the recently published 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Understanding the latest conclusions from the IPCC, and spreading awareness about the actions needed to stabilize the climate, are part of JAI’s core mission. Thus, the JAI team is working to understand AR6’s conclusions down to the last detail, and the team is looking forward to publishing and distributing the report.

Next, the JAI team will focus on the topic of intergenerational equity. This term describes a variety of ethical and social justice frameworks related to the reciprocal effects of the actions taken by one generation of humans that may affect another generation of humans. A prominent example is the question of the justice of government debt: Who will benefit the most, and is it unfair to leave debt to people not yet born?

Intergenerational equity plays a prominent role in discussions related to climate change as well. This stems from the fact that the behavior and conduct of humans alive today will seriously, and probably negatively, affect the lives of countless people who have yet to be born. In fact, the refusal to stabilize the climate will likely result in catastrophe for future generations.

Thus, JAI hopes to review core concepts of intergenerational equity, particularly as it relates to climate change. A landmark case which just came down in Germany, Neubauer et al., v. Germany, will serve as a starting point. A group of young people sued the state in order to strengthen mandatory climate targets, as well as for a more detailed elaboration of climate protection plans beyond the year 2030. The German Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs four months ago, based on one argument: the preservation of intergenerational equity.