Justice, Posterity, and the Environment
Justice, Posterity, and the Environment
复制标题
正义、子孙后代和环境
DOI：
10.1093/0199245088.001.0001
复制
发表时间：
2001
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
J. Pasek
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
W. Beckerman;J. Pasek
在富裕国家，环境问题被视为繁荣的问题。在贫穷国家，它们被视为贫穷问题。这是因为，在贫穷国家，像缺乏清洁饮用水这样的环境问题，是影响他们此时此地的问题，而在富裕国家，人们最担心的环境问题是那些主要是由于繁荣和经济增长而产生的、似乎主要可能危害后代的问题。但我们对后代的义务究竟是什么？这些是由他们的“权利”、代际正义、公平或“可持续发展”决定的吗？本书的第一部分认为，这些概念都没有提供任何指导，但我们仍然有道德义务考虑后代的利益。对可能发展的评估表明，虽然必须认真对待环境问题，但我们对后代的主要义务是留给他们一个比今天更尊重基本人权的社会。此外，各代人并不是同质的实体。专门用于环境保护的资源不能用于保健、教育或住房等方面，更不用说穷国迫切需要更好的食物、卫生、饮用水、住房和基本基础设施，以预防或治疗广泛传播的疾病。如果今天保护环境造福子孙后代的负担主要由较贫穷的人承担，这就不符合正义的利益。
In rich countries, environmental problems are seen as problems of prosperity. In poor countries they are seen as problems of poverty. This is because the environmental problems in poor countries, such as lack of clean drinking water, are problems that affect them here and now, whereas in rich countries the environmental problems that people worry about most are those that-largely as a result of prosperity and economic growth-seem likely to harm mainly future generations. But what exactly are our obligations to future generations? Are these determined by their 'rights', or intergenerational justice, or equity, or 'sustainable development'? The first part of the book argues that none of these concepts provides any guidance, but that we still have a moral obligation to take account of the interests that future generations will have. And an appraisal of probable developments suggests that, while environmental problems have to be taken seriously, our main obligation to future generations is to bequeath to them a society in which there is greater respect for basic human rights than is the case today. Furthermore, generations are not homogeneous entities. Resources devoted to environmental protection cannot be used for, say, health care or education or housing, not to mention the urgent claims in poor countries for better food, sanitation, drinking water, shelter, and basic infrastructures to prevent or cure widespread disease. It cannot serve the interests of justice if the burden of protecting the environment for the benefit of posterity is born mainly by poorer people today.