Intergenerational equity and its importance in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies

As two sides of the same coin, intergenerational equity and sustainable development are rooted in the need to balance the short-term needs of today's generation with the longer-term needs of future generations.

—

A problem that we cannot ignore any longer is that climate change and its repercussions are wreaking havoc everywhere with extreme weather conditions, including increasing heat waves, catastrophic monsoons, roaring wildfires, severe droughts, and bone-chilling cold spells.

Climate change is inherently an intergenerational problem affecting the present generations. It will cast an ominous shadow on the future (unborn) generation, mainly depending on the actions we choose to take today. Hence, present action to combat climate change may not result in immediate results but is an investment sought to be undertaken for the benefit of future generations.

The concept of 'intergenerational equity', initially conceptualised for sustainable development, has become even more relevant in light of climate change. As two sides of the same coin, intergenerational equity and sustainable development are rooted in the need to balance the short-term needs of today's generation (intragenerational equity) with the longer-term needs of future generations (intergenerational equity), all the while promoting prosperity and quality of life.

Intergenerational equity has been the bedrock of sustainable development and international policies surrounding climate change since time immemorial. While many international legal instruments— most notably the Stockholm Declaration, Rio Declaration, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement recognise and seek to preserve the rights and interests of future generations, intergenerational equity is usually undefined and often regarded as 'soft law' with the scope of interpretation to suit different circumstances.