What Is Intergenerational Equity?

Intergenerational equity refers to a resource allocation idea of sustainable development strategies. It requires the fair use of natural resources between different generations. The basic requirements are: (1) each generation has the right to preserve and choose natural and cultural diversity, and for contemporary people, it is obliged to preserve natural and cultural resources for future generations; (2) each generation has the right to health The right to a better quality of life. Every generation should guarantee the quality of the planet. When modern people use natural resources, they should consider the opportunities for future generations to use the resources and the number of possible resources that they can obtain. The social discount rate and private discount rate determined solely by contemporary people cannot satisfactorily express the willingness of the next generation to make decisions, or embody the fairness principle that "no matter what generation is in a dominant position in resource allocation". Intergenerational fairness has two meanings: pointing to the "future" is that the contemporary must leave the future generations a sound and beautiful earth suitable for future generations to live in; and pointing to the "past" is that the contemporary must pay off the predecessors' retention. "Natural debt". ^[1]

Intergenerational equity

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Intergenerational equity refers to a resource allocation idea of sustainable development strategies. It requires the fair use of natural resources between different generations. The basic requirements are: (1) each generation has the right to preserve and choose natural and cultural diversity, and for contemporary people, it is obliged to preserve natural and cultural resources for future generations; (2) each generation has the right to enjoy health The right to a better quality of life. Every generation should guarantee the quality of the planet. When modern people use natural resources, they should consider the opportunities for future generations to use the resources and the number of possible resources that they can obtain. The social discount rate and private discount rate determined solely by contemporary people cannot satisfactorily express the willingness of the next generation to make decisions, or embody the fairness principle that "no matter what generation is in a dominant position in resource allocation". Intergenerational fairness has two meanings: pointing to the "future" is that the contemporary must leave the future generations a sound and beautiful earth suitable for future generations to live in; and pointing to the "past" is that the contemporary must pay off the predecessors' retention. "Natural debt". ^[1]

That is, the necessary environmental and natural resources that contemporary people must leave to future generations to survive and develop are important principles of sustainable development strategies.

"Intergenerational equity" is an important part of the principle of sustainable development, mainly referring to the need for contemporary people to preserve natural resources for the benefit of future generations. This theory was first proposed by American scholar of international law Eddie B. Weiss. There is an important concept of "trusteeship" in intergenerational fairness, which considers that each generation of human beings is the trustee of future generations of human beings. Under the commission of future generations, contemporary people have the responsibility to protect the global environment and hand it over to future generations people. Intergenerational fairness consists of three basic principles: First, the "preservation choice principle", which means that each generation should preserve the diversity of natural and cultural resources for future generations, avoid restricting the rights of future generations, and make future generations have the same as previous generations. The diversity of similar choices for people; the second is the "preservation quality principle", which means that each generation should guarantee the quality of the earth. When it is handed over to the next generation, it is no worse than when it was taken over from the previous generation. That is, the earth has not been damaged in the hands of this generation; the third is the "preservation of access and use principles", that is, each generation should provide its members with the right to parallel access and use the legacy of previous generations, and preserve this for future generations Rights of access and use, that is to say, what has been left by previous generations should enable contemporary people to have the right to understand and benefit, and it should also be preserved so that the next generation can also have access to things left over from previous generations . As an important part of the principles of sustainable development, intergenerational fairness has been widely accepted in the field of international law and has been directly or indirectly recognized in many international treaties.