An inhabitable planet: a matter of justice
There is a temporal bond that connects all generations together. Each generation is inevitably bound by the actions and decisions taken in the past, having little to do about it. Sadly, the world we have inherited from previous generations has been compromised by a series of practices led by economic models that have prioritised profits over people for centuries, hindering the quality of life of present and future beings. In fact, the natural heritage that includes the atmosphere, plants, soils, oceans, animals and resources has been damaged up to the point where even the most basic human rights to life, shelter, access to food, water and clean air are at risk, and this risk is likely to increase in the future.
Future generations and youth are among the most vulnerable groups that will suffer the consequences of the climate crisis, a crisis that has its roots in human-led activities. In fact, the current generation, primarily in the global North, is running an ecological debt that future ones will have to pay back. And this adds on an already damaged post-pandemic economic system and social inequalities that leave a blurred picture of the future, negatively affecting young people’s mental health. In this context, the concept of intergenerational justice arises precisely because young people and future generations will pay the consequences of actions that follow an exploitative vision of the Earth and its resources, despite not having contributed to them.
The need for a mindset change
Intergenerational justice states that the rights of past, present and future generations to live on a healthy planet are equal. Nothing future generations will do will affect the present, but everything that happens now will affect the future. In this sense, intergenerational justice requires a radical mindset change that considers the long-term impact of today’s choices and actions, instead of focusing on short-term gains. To think long-term means to respect planetary boundaries: “It doesn’t make sense to have an economy where you’re using resources faster than they can naturally replenish, or create more waste than can be naturally absorbed in oceans and other carbon sinks”, says philosopher and author Roman Krznaric. The mindset change motivates to find the answers to the climate crisis in other understandings that move away from the Western ones that have caused it in the first place: in fact, long-term thinking can be traced in Indigenous knowledge, which is about the interconnectedness of all things, the recognition of the inherent value of nature and its interdependence with the human world.
It is vital, then, to make an imaginative effort to consider the interests of future beings in present decision-making, creating future-proofed policies on climate and environmental matters. And this could be done by making sure that young people are meaningfully engaged in decisions that concern their future, as shown in a paper Generation Climate Europe co-wrote with the European Youth Forum and the Institute for European Environmental Policy.
How do we make sure that present actions will be fair and just for future beings on this planet? The answer lies in the adoption of an ethic of intergenerational justice, understood as present-day duties in taking care of the environment. The mindset change that we need is one that considers that we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, but instead we are borrowing it from our children. And this can only be achieved by addressing historical and ongoing forms of colonialism that have helped to increase the vulnerabilities of specific groups of people and places to climate change effects not only in the past and in the present, but also in the future. In fact, treating the future as a well full of infinite resources, or as a dumping ground for short-term profit, is a way of embracing a colonial mindset that does not take into account the interests of future generations to live on a healthy planet. But we cannot afford to colonise the future and lock future generations in a growth-oriented and destructive fossil fuel economy that will lead to ecological degradation.
Recognising the roots of the climate crisis in the legacy of colonial practices and addressing issues of climate, economic and social justice in order to guarantee the protection of the rights of future generations is the only way forward to decolonise the future. We can no longer afford a business-as-usual mindset, and other voices need to be heard. Simply put, it is all about being good ancestors!
Written by Erika Strazzante
