COVID-19 warns us: we need global environmental law

COVID-19 is a warning to us: our behaviour risks the destruction of the planet, and the obliteration of humankind – and we need not just international environmental law but fully enforceable global law to prevent it. Sándor Fülöp is an environmental lawyer who held the office of the first Parliamentary Commissioner for future generations in… Read more »

Education post-COVID – a life or death decision?

COVID-19 has placed education at high risk around the world. In Wales, the way forward is guided by Well-being of Future Generations Act of 2015. Jane Davidson, Pro Vice-Chancellor Emeritus at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, was a leading architect of that groundbreaking legislation when, from 2007 to 2011, she was Minister for Environment,… Read more »

Earth Day in strange times

It’s Earth Day this week, and according to CarbonBrief the first three months of 2020 were the second warmest on record. With COVID-19 understandably distracting the world from conversations about environmental degradation and #climatecrisis, Liz Emerson, IF Co-founder, discusses the huge potential for the greening of the economy post-COVID

Intergenerational Alert: hidden liabilities in the Local Government Pension Scheme

A new report published by IF reveals the hidden liabilities in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). This threatens to become a major intergenerational issue because, unless urgent action is taken, the cost will be passed on to younger and future generations to pay. Here, in a brief summary, the report’s author, actuary Daryl Boxall,… Read more »

Alternatives to plastic: are they any better?

Many young adults are currently concerned about the impact which their plastic consumption could be having on the environment. However, new research suggests that we still don’t know enough about the environmental impact of plastic alternatives to be certain that they are actually better for the environment than plastic, as David Kingman explains

We Want to Fight Climate Change With You, Not Against You

Young climate activists have been accused of antagonising older generations, shifting the blame onto them rather than taking their own responsibility seriously. Charlotte Unruh, an Ambassador for the Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations, argues that such accusations are based on a misunderstanding of young people’s motivation and intentions

The Future Generations Bill: a new landmark in intergenerational justice

On Monday 21 October, Green Party peer Baroness Jenny Jones introduced Lord Bird’s Future Generations Bill in the House of Lords. With the bill seeking to revolutionise policy thinking by encouraging policy makers to incorporate the implications for future generations as well as current ones, IF placement Cameron Leitch explores what impact this bill could have… Read more »

WIFW: the start of a new network?

This week’s first ever Worldwide Intergenerational Fairness Week had modest ambitions: simply a blog week. But the contributions from around the world, or dealing with international intergenerational issues, have been excellent, and we hope WIFW can become something much bigger in the future – and the start of a global network. IF’s editor, Antony Mason… Read more »

Brexit, democracy and intergenerational justice

Brexit casts a long shadow that will unquestionably affect future generations. In the debate, the demands of democracy have been called upon by both sides. But when it comes to the interests of future generations, has democracy been found wanting? Thomas Tozer, author of IF’s “A New Intergenerational Contact”, leads us through the arguments.