Integenerational Equity
What current generations owe to future generations
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nwg-h08odgI/T_dPiJ9tJbI/AAAAAAAAC8c/4o8Mol5u528/s640/Repin%2B-%2BLT%2Bres
ting%2B-%2B1891.jpg

Sustainable Development
•Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:
–the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding
priority should be given; and
–the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment's ability to meet present and future needs.
•

From A/42/427. Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development

Population Increase
http://www.wrsc.org/sites/default/files/images/2012/1_world_popluation_1.jpg

The Green Party has been arguing this for the past 30 years

Levels of Government Debt (public sector net debt, £bn

From the nerdily reassuring Robert Chote. Starting to realise that most of those with economic
power are less educated than I am! I feel like turning his upside-down and using him as a
toilet-brush – he would be more useful than making projections which consistently turn out to be
wrong.

Median Income of those aged 20 to 29 (£000s) (red line) compared to median house prices (£000s)
(blue line)

Data from Intergenerational Foundation: Fairness Index:
http://www.if.org.uk/archives/2261/2012-intergenerational-fairness-index

Size of the UK employed workforce (millions) (green line) compared to total cost of state pension
(£ billions – real terms, 2011/12 Prices (blue line)

Data from Intergenerational Foundation: Fairness Index:
http://www.if.org.uk/archives/2261/2012-intergenerational-fairness-index

Species Loss
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40129000/gif/_40129722_species_extinc_gra203.gif

From the nerdily reassuring Robert Chote. Starting to realise that most of those with economic
power are less educated than I am! I feel like turning his upside-down and using him as a
toilet-brush – he would be more useful than making projections which consistently turn out to be
wrong.

Comparisons of annual consumption
USA
Europe
China
India
Africa
World
Cars
750
240
7
6
9
91
Fuel
1624
286
33
9
36
174
Energy
8520
3546
896
515
580
1640
Meat
125
74
52
5
13
40
Water
430
159
135
174
47
173
Popn.
293
730
1306
1080
887
6500
Children
2.08
1.56
1.72
2.78
4.82
2.55
Data for 2004/5 from Pretty, J. (2007), The Earth Only Endures: On Reconnecting with Nature and our
Place in it (London: Earthscan).

Emissions per capita for a range of countries in 2007 (tonnes of CO2 per capita)
¨Source: UN Statistics Division


CO2 Emissions Per Capita



Carbon dioxide emissions per capita, 1990-2007
1990
2000
2004
2007
Burundi
0.03
0.04
0.03
0.02
Cambodia
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.31
Nigeria
0.48
0.72
0.83
0.64
India
0.79
1.1
1.2
1.4
Brazil
1.4
1.9
1.8
1.9
China
2.1
2.7
3.8
4.9
France
6.4
6.0
6.2
6.5
UK
10.1
9.9
9.8
8.97
Saudi
15.7
13.1
13.4
16.3
USA
18.8
20.9
20.4
19.7

Attitudes towards Future Generations

Intergenerational Foundation







The Politics of Intergenerational Equity
•“It [the state] becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who
are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.” Edmund Burke, 1789
http://www.fundacionburke.org/wp-content/themes/big-blue-01/images/burke_retrato.jpg

An Ombudsman?
•“Our ancestors were able to live in peace with nature and with their past and future generations.
We have to learn it again and to recreate these functions and institutions that serve our survival.
This is our only chance – we should not miss it.” Sandor Fulop, Hungarian Ombudsman for Future
Generations

•‘Democracy’ means ‘government by the people’; but who are ‘the people’?
•The interests of future generations should
•Creation of a new legislative structure – Guardians of Future Generations
•The members of this body would be selected by
•Sortition
•The Guardians would have a power of veto over legislation
Guardians of the Future?

http://www.greenhousethinktank.org/files/greenhouse/home/Guardians_inside_final.pdf

The Debate
•You are one of the following generations:
–Current over-60s
–Current mid-40s
–Current under-25s
–The next generation
•How do you approach the following policies:
–Long-term care for the elderly
–Nuclear power
–Climate change
–The financial crisis
–
•
•