Intergenerational Responsibilities or Our Duties to the Future

It is, on the face of it, odd that growthmen (who embrace, of course, growthwomen) and environmentalists, who share a concern for future generations, should be so much at loggerheads. The need to accumulate physical and human capital for greater output and enjoyment later, at the expense of current enjoyment, is at the heart of high growth strategies. Sometimes we hear of the objective of ‘maximising growth’. This, strictly interpreted, would mean that we should tighten our belts to the bare minimum consumption for productive survival, accumulate the difference between production and consumption, and the last generation before doomsday could then indulge in an infinite consumption orgy. While the strategy is nonsensical, what greater concern could there be for the future? But even more sensible growth strategies aim at higher levels of income and consumption for future generations. On the other hand, conservationists, environmentalists and ecologists wish to preserve a decent natural environment and an adequate supply of raw materials for subsequent generations. They, too, have the welfare of future generations at heart. What then are the issues of disagreement? We might identify five.