Intergenerational Solidarity as the Foundation of the Theory of Future Environmental Harm

Abstract

The shift in ethical behavior regarding the relationship between people and the natural environment is a demand of the Anthropocene. An environmental ethic centered on anthropocentrism does not meet the demands of the climate emergency, making it imperative that solidarity related to environmental issues be intragenerational, intergenerational, and interspecies. Thus, the practice of environmental degradation through human action is unacceptable, as environmental harm compromises the right to an ecologically balanced environment, the preservation of which is the responsibility of both the state and society, and should be ensured not only for present but also for future generations. It is preservation that should underpin environmental protection, and through prevention and precaution, the demands of biocentrism are met—an environmental ethic that considers all forms of life on Earth as important. Therefore, the research problem involves, considering the principle of solidarity concerning the right to an ecologically balanced environment, its relevance to the theory of future environmental harm. The objectives are to conceptualize the principle of solidarity, define environmental harm, and correlate it with the risk society, as an effort to point out its relevance to the theory of future environmental harm. The methodology is dialectical, and the technique is bibliographic. The results indicate that, in the risk society, the consequences of environmental harm extend over time, and resolving environmental responsibility is not sufficient only for the harm perceived objectively at the time of its occurrence. Intergenerational solidarity requires preventing environmental harm in the present to ensure the right to an ecologically balanced environment for future generations.