intergenerational ethics - how do we think about and prioritize our contributions to the future
the idea of a "bequest" of mixed goods to the future or a "trust" for future generations
do we measure welfare or stuff: economistic or ecological
weak sustainability - measure welfare and all capital is interconvertable to improve welfare
strong sustainability - preserve some categories of stuff, natural capital
could have a hybrid - measure the value of the stuff (ecosystem services)
strong ecological sustainability and "normative sustainability"
"specifying social and communal values as guiding a community toward protection of ecologically measured features"
more than just preserving ecosystems - setting up society to preserve ecosystems
"Grand Simplification" "since we do not know what people in the future will need - and since resources are substitutable for each other - the only thing we can do is to meaures and compare welfare across time." - i.e. increase capital of any forms
GS is and oversimplification
- not just one simple problem but a cluster interrelated problems
- intergenerational tradeoffs
- how far into the future are we responsible (1 generation, multiple,...)
- ignorance,
- types of problems
Nature protection
not just saving stuff
projecting their values into the future
shrines to our culture <!-- see below -->
such speech is a performative act
what the community is willing to do
measurement follows moral commitment
3 boundaries
decision horizon
uncertainty
what can be lost in the process, what is acceptable to lose
ask communities to describe what can be saved
freedom to choose what can and can't be saved (refer to Sen)
