Justice, Posterity, and the Environment
Wilfred Beckerman and Joanna Pasek
Abstract
In rich countries, environmental problems are seen as problems of prosperity. In poor countries, they are seen as problems of poverty. This is because the environmental problems in poor countries—such as lack of clean drinking water or decent sanitation—are problems that affect them here and now, whereas in rich countries the environmental problems that people worry about most—largely as a result of current prosperity and economic growth—are those that seem likely to harm mainly posterity and hence violate our obligations to future generations.
Keywords:
environment,
environmental values,
equity,
future generations,
human rights,
justice,
poverty,
prosperity,
resources,
sustainable development
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2001 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199245086 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: November 2003 |
DOI:10.1093/0199245088.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Wilfred Beckerman, author
Balliol College, Oxford
Joanna Pasek, author
University College London
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