Intergenerational Equity and the Sustainable Development Goals

Otto Spijkers

doi:10.3390/su10113836

Abstract

The contribution of the present research is to link the global consensus in international legal scholarship on the principle of intergenerational equity to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The methodology used is, first, to provide a literature review of theories of intergenerational equity developed in international law scholarship, followed by a textual analysis of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that contains the SDGs. To place the SDGs in their proper context, an overview is provided of the most important declarations on sustainable development of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and outcome documents of the most important World Conferences on sustainable development organized under the auspices of the United Nations. Two general conclusions can be drawn from the present research: in international law scholarship and in the SDGs and previous declarations, the earth is generally seen as a resource, to be used by present and future people, and not as something warranting respect regardless of its worth to human beings. Second, the main challenge is to find a proper balance between intergenerational equity—present and future people—and intragenerational equity—the rich and the poor of the present generation.

Highlights

Past, present, and future people depend on the earth
International law scholarship engages with ideas developed by previous scholars, and with references to intergenerational equity contained in the sources of international law, i.e., international treaties, customary law, and general principles
Before we begin our analysis of above-mentioned documents, the methodology used is explained in more detail (Section 2), and a literature review is provided of the international law scholarship on intergenerational equity (Section 3)

Summary

Introduction

Present, and future people depend on the earth. The earth’s resources are scarce; and its capacity to recover from the effects of some of our actions, such as the emission of greenhouse gasses, is limited. There are various ideas about what exactly the present people owe to future people, and that is what intergenerational equity is all about This concept has inspired a significant amount of scholarship, in various disciplines, including philosophy, (global) governance, and international law). Why should one be interested in references to intergenerational equity in UN General Assembly resolutions, such as the one containing the SDGs, and/or outcome documents of World Conferences? An overview is provided of the most important UNGA resolutions and World Conference outcome documents that predate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, Section 4). This is done because it is impossible to appreciate the SDGs without knowing what came before. Before we begin our analysis of above-mentioned documents, the methodology used is explained in more detail (Section 2), and a literature review is provided of the international law scholarship on intergenerational equity (Section 3)

Materials and Methods

Prehistory to the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals and Intergenerational Equity

Conclusions