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'''Intergenerational justice '''"''concerns the moral responsibilities shared among different generations''." -Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs <ref>https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/explore-engage/key-terms/intergenerational-justice</ref>  
'''Intergenerational justice '''"''concerns the moral responsibilities shared among different generations''." -Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs <ref>https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/explore-engage/key-terms/intergenerational-justice</ref> 
 
Related to the climate crisis, intergenerational justice describes how "''present generations have certain duties towards future generations, and climate change raises particularly pressing issues, such as which risks those living today are allowed to impose on future generations, and how available natural resources can be used without threatening the sustainable functioning of the planet's ecosystems. Moreover, when one talks about the rights of future generations this inevitably seems to raise the issue of how to balance the rights’ claims of those alive today against the rights’ claims of future generations.''" -UNICEF  <ref>https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/920-climate-change-and-intergenerational-justice.html</ref> <p>Climate intergenerational justice, in other words, looks at ''"how climate change creates and worsens injustices between generations."'' -Scott, & Malivel, 2021  <ref>Scott, D. N., &amp; Malivel, G. (2021). Intergenerational Environmental Justice and the Climate Crisis: Thinking with and beyond the Charter. Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Forthcoming, Journal of Law &amp; Equality, 17(1).</ref>  &nbsp;</p>


Related to the climate crisis, intergenerational justice describes how "''present generations have certain duties towards future generations, and climate change raises particularly pressing issues, such as which risks those living today are allowed to impose on future generations, and how available natural resources can be used without threatening the sustainable functioning of the planet's ecosystems. Moreover, when one talks about the rights of future generations this inevitably seems to raise the issue of how to balance the rights’ claims of those alive today against the rights’ claims of future generations.''" -UNICEF <ref>https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/920-climate-change-and-intergenerational-justice.html</ref> <p>Climate intergenerational justice, in other words, looks at ''"how climate change creates and worsens injustices between generations."'' -Scott, & Malivel, 2021 <ref>Scott, D. N., &amp; Malivel, G. (2021). Intergenerational Environmental Justice and the Climate Crisis: Thinking with and beyond the Charter. Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Forthcoming, Journal of Law &amp; Equality, 17(1).</ref> &nbsp;</p>
<br>If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.<br>
<br>If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.<br>
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==What are examples of climate intergenerational injustice?==
== What are examples of climate intergenerational injustice? ==
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'''Disposability discourse'''
'''Differences between generations in effort towards emissions reduction targets'''
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Much discussion around the severity of COVID was lessened by expressing how it mainly sickens and kills elderly, chronically ill, and disabled people. This discourse suggests these groups are seen disposable.&nbsp;
 
*Different generations will not have to put the same amount of effort to reach emissions reduction targets. To meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees celsius, future generations do not have as much carbon budget as past generations. Generations before them have overused theirs. <ref>Hausfather, Z. (2019). Analysis: Why children must emit eight times less CO2 than their grandparents. Carbone Brief. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-why-children-must-emit-eight-times-le ss-co2-than-their-grandparents/</ref> &nbsp;
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'''Loosened restrictions too early'''
'''Future generations will suffer from more global warming-induced impacts'''
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When governments loosened COVID restrictions in response to business demands, political pressure, and public impatience, rather than scientific evidence, high risk populations (the chronically ill, disabled and elderly) were subsequently told they are disposable yet again.&nbsp;
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'''Working through illness'''
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Regulations around how many sick days should be required when someone falls ill with COVID also demonstrated ableism. In relation to these regulations, and in favour of profit above health, many politicians including US President Joe Biden, praised themselves for working through COVID, instead of encouraging people to rest and recover if they'd fallen ill.&nbsp;
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'''[[Individualism]]'''
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Individuals have been encouraged to make 'personal' choices on vaccines (without legitimate health restrictions), masks and gatherings.
"''There is no individual safety without collective safety and collective safety requires that no one is safe unless everyone is safe." - Mia Mingus  <ref>https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2022/01/16/you-are-not-entitled-to-our-deaths-covid-abled-supremacy-interdependence/</ref>  ''


*Extreme weather events and changes in temperatures and water supply are expected to worsen with time. Because of this future generations will suffer greater impacts from climate change than current and past generations. <ref>Thompson, A. (2022). How Climate Change Will Hit Younger Generations. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-climate-change-will-hit-youn ger-generations/</ref>
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Revision as of 17:36, 22 August 2023

Intergenerational justice "concerns the moral responsibilities shared among different generations." -Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs [1]

Related to the climate crisis, intergenerational justice describes how "present generations have certain duties towards future generations, and climate change raises particularly pressing issues, such as which risks those living today are allowed to impose on future generations, and how available natural resources can be used without threatening the sustainable functioning of the planet's ecosystems. Moreover, when one talks about the rights of future generations this inevitably seems to raise the issue of how to balance the rights’ claims of those alive today against the rights’ claims of future generations." -UNICEF [2]

Climate intergenerational justice, in other words, looks at "how climate change creates and worsens injustices between generations." -Scott, & Malivel, 2021 [3]  


If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

What are examples of climate intergenerational injustice?

Differences between generations in effort towards emissions reduction targets

  • Different generations will not have to put the same amount of effort to reach emissions reduction targets. To meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees celsius, future generations do not have as much carbon budget as past generations. Generations before them have overused theirs. [4]  

Future generations will suffer from more global warming-induced impacts

  • Extreme weather events and changes in temperatures and water supply are expected to worsen with time. Because of this future generations will suffer greater impacts from climate change than current and past generations. [5]


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  1. ↑ https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/explore-engage/key-terms/intergenerational-justice
  2. ↑ https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/920-climate-change-and-intergenerational-justice.html
  3. ↑ Scott, D. N., & Malivel, G. (2021). Intergenerational Environmental Justice and the Climate Crisis: Thinking with and beyond the Charter. Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Forthcoming, Journal of Law & Equality, 17(1).
  4. ↑ Hausfather, Z. (2019). Analysis: Why children must emit eight times less CO2 than their grandparents. Carbone Brief. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-why-children-must-emit-eight-times-le ss-co2-than-their-grandparents/
  5. ↑ Thompson, A. (2022). How Climate Change Will Hit Younger Generations. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-climate-change-will-hit-youn ger-generations/
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