Environment What Responsibility Do We Have To Future Generations
In terms of the environment, the question can be asked what responsibility do we have to future generations? If we are responsible, to what extent? Do the potential world citizens of the future have rights? I would argue that we have a duty to citizens not born yet to provide an environment of certain quality. This quality should be sustainable and we are breaking a natural moral law if we act as to diminish the sustainability of this quality of the environment. There may be limited resources which we utilise such as fossil fuels but then we have a duty to make sure there are alternatives which potential citizens of the future will be able to use so as to be able to sustain their ‘threshold’ of quality of life and maintain the balance of the environment.
Limited resources such as fossil fuels can be used by current generations but society’s dependence on them means we have responsibility to research alternative sources of energy so that the ‘threshold’ of quality of life is sustained when fossil fuels run out and society can cope without them without individuals falling into poverty or being able to maintain a quality of life.
We have a responsibility to future generations to leave the environment in as healthy a state as which we inherited it which doesn’t mean in an identical state to which we inherited it but it does mean we have to respect the balance of nature’s ecosystems etc when we use its resources and have to consider things like ending illegal and destructive logging, ending destructive fishing and polluting industries etc we have to take a look at our lifestyles and consider the things which may contribute to climate change etc.
When one considers our responsibility to future generations possibly one should not look at it as a responsibility for a finite period ahead, such as our responsibility holds for the next 100 years or for a certain period of time in the future. Our responsibility is to the planet and all potential citizens of the planet who may come ahead and therefore we should not compromise our policy making. Governments should not make short-term policies to the detriment of the long-term welfare of the environment and the quality of life for all future citizens of the world.
It could be argued that future generations have to adapt to the challenges of the environment that they inherit just as past generations have adapted to the different challenges facing them. This is true BUT I would argue that the challenges that future generations should face should not be the result of poor decisions by past generations and the onus of responsibility is on every generation to care for the environment which they live in and to pass it on in a healthy state. I would argue that the basis of our duty to future citizens is from our duty to society as a whole. Just as we have a responsibility to respect the rights of our fellow man who is part of society, I think we have to respect the rights of future citizens such as their right to a healthy environment as they are part of humanity.