Do Future Generations have Rights? (Hailey Hill)

    It’s wild how much our current environmental choices are going to mess with people who aren’t even born yet, especially since those folks don't have a seat at the table to tell us to stop. It brings up this huge moral question: do we actually owe anything to people who don't exist? It feels super unfair that we’re just burning through resources and wrecking ecosystems, essentially handing them the bill for our lifestyle. Even though they can’t speak up for themselves right now, it feels like we have a pretty major responsibility to think about their quality of life before we make decisions that destroy their future.

    I think shifting toward something like "intergenerational justice" is honestly the only way forward. If we actually believe that someone living 100 years from now has just as much of a right to a healthy planet as we do, then saving the environment shouldn't be optional—it’s just our duty. It’s definitely not easy to balance our needs with theirs, but I’d be interested to know what you guys think: what kind of policies or even just general mindset changes do you think would actually force us to prioritize the future instead of just immediate convenience?
https://philosophy.institute/ethics/core-principles-environmental-ethics/ 

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