Abstract

In this paper, I respond to critical papers on my book “What is Intergenerational Justice?” In Sect. “Non-Identity, Severance and Containment”, I address concerns about two responses to the non-identity problem, i.e. severance and containment. In doing so, I discuss issues such as the unjust nature of inequalities with the past, the defensibility of a duty to procreate or the function of the “their duties are our duties” proviso. In Sect. “Distributive Justice?”, I clarify my conception of distributive justice against concerns for the centrality of human agency and I apply it to historical emissions of greenhouse gases. In Sect. “Is the Narrow Path too Narrow?”, I defend the “narrow path” view as a default position against a variety of concerns. In Sect. “On Legitimacy and Representation”, I defend the view that our decisions cannot be said to be legitimate towards the future and that one should avoid claiming to be representing the future.