Endangering the Natural Basis of Life is Unjust: On the Status and Future of the Sustainability Discourse

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in AbstractThe paper critically examines the status of the sustainability discourse and sustainability politics against the backdrop of considerations about the meaning of justice in the context of sustainability. We argue that the preservation of the natural basis of life is by itself a requirement of justice. However, the crucial role of the ecological dimension of sustainability has been neglected due to a problematic interpretation of the economic dimension, a limited understanding of justice, and an overemphasis of economic growth and growth politics. We propose to reposition the sustainability discourse and sustainability politics by prioritizing the long-term protection of the natural basis of life as the essential foundation of future development, welfare, and justice.JEL Classification I31, O40, Q01, Q5, Q57, A10, A13

The Justice Dimension of Sustainability: A Systematic and General Conceptual Framework

“…For example, Dower [38] argues that future humans have a claim towards current humans to sustain the "conditions in which justice can flourish" [38] (p. 399). This includes the stability of life-support systems [143], a certain quality of the natural environment today and in the future [37], but also the justice-enabling design of global structures today [99], which are passed on to future generations, as a claim content.…”