The sustained question of what sustainability should mean

What is it about?

In this study, intergenerational climate justice researcher Dr. Anna Aseeva explores how current approaches to sustainability and climate justice are not sufficiently nuanced. She explains that the approaches do not consider the wide variety of social, geographical, and generational problems that face different peoples across the world. For instance, the realities for a member of a racial minority or a developed country are vastly different from those of white Europe. In accordance with these variations, the meaning of sustainability, what is needed, what is achievable, the means and timeframes by which they can be achieved, and the laws and policies required to achieve them also change. Dr. Aseeva argues that often international laws and policies can take on the dominant voice of their maker, jeopardising global inclusivity and diversity. Instead, a more effective approach to achieving a sustainable world will be to broaden the concept of intergenerational climate justice to include racial, class, economic, and geographical differences.

Featured Image

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The concept of sustainability is a central consideration in intergenerational climate justice because it is premised on the fact that the actions of one generation shape the world that future generations will inherit. But overall, international laws and policies to achieve sustainability are largely blanket regulations that are nature-focused, and which do not recognise the diversity of realities and priorities across the world. Key takeaway The requirements to fight climate change are differentiated worldwide and only through a revised approach premised on diversity, inclusivity, and non-domination can an effective solution be found.