Courtesy of the Times Colonist
Photo: Protesters take part in a climate protest march in Ottawa last September. The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in October that Ontario’s actions to weaken its climate targets are subject to challenge under the constitutional rights of youth and future generations to life, security of the person and equality, writes Trevor Hancock. ANDREW VAUGHAN, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Last month, I began to explore a set of aphorisms that I find helpful in addressing the immense challenges of the 21st century.
This month, I turn to an aphorism that became popular in the 1970s — “we do not inherit the Earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.”
Often attributed to Duwamish Chief Seattle in the 19th century and seemingly popularized by American novelist, poet and activist Wendell Berry in the early 1970s, this is, simply put, the embodiment of the principle of inter-generational rights and justice.
That is, of course, hardly a new idea. As the attribution to Chief Seattle suggests, it is rooted in Indigenous values and beliefs. Many claim it goes back to the Seventh Generation way of thinking attributed to the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. Since a generation is roughly 20-25 years, seven generations takes us out about 150 years.
A modern wording of this concept forms the fundamental principle of sustainable development put forward in 1987 by the Brundtland Commission: To meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
These ideas are now — finally — beginning to find their way into public policy and even into law.
Wales led the way a decade ago, introducing a Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. The act requires public bodies in Wales — including government ministries, local authorities, local health boards and a number of other public authorities — to think about and report on the long-term impact of their decisions.
In addition, the act established the position of Commissioner for Future Generations. The commissioner describes his role as “to be the guardian of future generations” and to “provide advice and support to government and public bodies,” as well as to report on progress.
These ideas have also been taken up at the UN, with Secretary General Antonio Guterres championing the focus on future generations.
His 2021 report Our Common Agenda highlighted the importance of considering the needs and perspectives of future generations in shaping the future of global governance.
Then, in 2023, he released a series of policy briefs, the first of which was entitled ‘To Think and Act for Future Generations,” and established the UN Futures Lab, a global network that helps the UN system use futures thinking and strategic foresight in planning, policymaking and decision-making.
In September 2024, the UN hosted a Summit of the Future, which, among other things, resulted in a Pact for the Future and a Declaration for Future Generations.
The pact committed the international community to “protect the needs and interests of present and future generations.”
After the summit, Mr. Guterres announced he would soon be creating the position of a UN Envoy for Future Generations.
Meanwhile, on the legal front, Ecojustice noted in an October 2024 news release that the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University reported that 630 new climate lawsuits were filed around the world between July 2020 and December 2022.
“Courts around the world,” Ecojustice noted, “are increasingly ruling that climate change poses an existential threat to our most cherished human rights and ordering governments to set and implement science-based reductions targets.”
Indeed, the International Court of Justice just completed hearings on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, while here in Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in October 2024 that Ontario’s actions to weaken its climate targets are subject to challenge under the constitutional rights of Ontario youth and future generations to life, security of the person and equality.
At a time when Trump, Putin and many others are doing everything they can to jeopardize the wellbeing of future generations, particularly by prioritizing fossil-fuel use, there is no more important task than working to protect future generations.
We need to demand that both the federal and the B.C. governments pass a Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and appoint a Commissioner for Future Generations.
At a local level, the Capital Regional District and local municipalities should commit to working with young people to help shape the policies they need for a healthy, just and sustainable future.
As Jonas Salk once noted, “our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.”
thancock@uvic.ca
Dr. Trevor Hancock is a retired professor and senior scholar at the University of Victoria’s School of Public Health and Social Policy
