Sustainability under Uncertainty: A Deontological Approach
- 1 November 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by University of Wisconsin Press in Land Economics
- Vol. 71 (4) , 417-427
- https://doi.org/10.2307/3146707
Abstract
A deontological (or ''Kantian'') approach to intergenerational fairness suggests that sustainability criteria should be imposed as prior constraints on the maximization of social preferences concerning the distribution of welfare between present and future generations. In particular, it is plausible to assert that each successive generation holds a duty to ensure that the expected welfare of its offspring is no less than its own perceived wellbeing. This moral rule implies a bias against actions that generate present benefits but impose the risk of irreversible future losses if the preservation of options would allow for improved decisions as new information became available. (JEL Q20)This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Humankind and the Environment: An Anatomy of Surprise and IgnoranceEnvironmental Values, 1992
- Intergenerational Justice and the Chain of ObligationEnvironmental Values, 1992
- Unjust intergenerational allocationsJournal of Economic Theory, 1991
- Rawlsian Intergenerational Justice as a Markov-Perfect Equilibrium in a Resource TechnologyThe Review of Economic Studies, 1988