Intergenerational Justice
Ethical treatment of the environment is an integral part of citizenship. A commitment which has no reward, however it gives the opportunity to live another day on a well treated planet. Dobson argues that everyone must make different commitments to the maintenance of the environment because geological limitations grant different opportunities. The global “North” is forced to devote more time and effort to their stewardship, as citizens of this plant who degrade 60 percent of the resources. He states, “ecological citizenship involves unreciprocated and unilateral citizenship obligations, depending on one’s asymmetrical ability to act.” We must expect nothing in return for our respectful citizenship. We are inhabitants of a planet that has a prolonged history of existence before us. Members of the “North” shall not expect a common set of requirements for changing their behavior toward the environment. Other members of the planet are using its resources for survival; mainly taking only what they need and western culture has prided itself on surplus. This is a major requirement of our free market economy which urges us to consume more than we can produce. The earth deserves justice. Retributive justice is justice as an effect; the cause would be an actual crime. Distributive justice is exemplified by the laws in place that ensure fairness. They seek to “establish standards for the fair and equitable distribution of goods, services, and rights in society”(384). In the case of the environment distributive justice would be more effective because we have opportunities to change laws in our society. The interests of environmentalists, preservationists, conversationalists, and advocates of sustainability should be represented in the lobbying sector.
I would also agree with John Rawls (1971), who has urged that “the principles of justice must include representation for the interests of future generations.” By representing the people who care now, we will give the future generations a voice. Each human wants to establish a legacy on this earth, whether that be personal accomplishments or children. One would hope that their time spent on earth made an effect on someone and if they do not make a mark on history, they touch a person's life. We must keep in mind the significance of parenting and education. Education begins with exposure to the natural environment and discussions about our relationship to animals.
Contrary to some scholars who have asserted that future persons do not have rights because they do not exist in the present, it is argued that children born today shall run the world tomorrow. Now, there is no literal take on this but own children are the future. A baby is born every 60 seconds and he/she is not using the resources we have allocated to them just yet, but they will soon grow up to be a person who is to understand their relationship to their environment. Thus, they have the right to that opportunity and potential development. I believe that is the selling point of intergenerational justice; there is potential in teaching and growing as a person morally, when you recognize your place in the context of your environment.
There were generations before us and there will be generations after us. We would be selfish to think that future generations do not deserve the resources we have been granted. They have rights as humans on the landscape of time. It is not a sacrifice to cut back on exponential use of resources for capital gain. Most of the US profits from environmental exploitation go to the military, which would not be hindered by a readjusted budget. The environment deserves peace because we are the inhabitants of a planet the provides us the basis human right to live.
The case study of the creation of Biosphere 2 proves how impossible it is to mimic the earth's sustainability. The experiment was a disaster in figuring out the possible ways of creating a similar biosphere. The biospherians were on the brink of death and many animals went extinct. It is important to note that our earth has many ways of adapting to change and humans have also developed this quality. As we manage the earth for our benefit and the benefit of future generations we must maintain an environmental worldview that encompasses planetary management, stewardship, and environmental wisdom. We are the dominant species and see ourselves as the most important, in terms of survival, so it is inherently our duty to manage our environment in these ways. I believe we must shy away from a human centered worldview and include all view points in order to ensure all needs are met. Humans do not share the same worldview and must be reminded that we have variations within our own ecological system. The main ideology of environmental citizenship relies on awareness and consideration for others.
How does a stewardship worldview differ from a citizenship worldview?
Is environmental wisdom imparted through laws or the media?
