No Future for Future Generations: Challenging Exclusionary Humanism and Anthropocentrism in Environmental Law
Wed 11th December 1:00-2:00pm
Room 3.41 Armstrong Building
No Future for Future Generations: Challenging Exclusionary Humanism and Anthropocentrism in Environmental Law
Speaker: Dr Emily Jones
This paper will argue that the concept of future generations in international environmental law is based upon a largely unquestioned model of whiteness, and is also classed, gendered, ableist, heteronormative and anthropocentric. These exclusions are rarely made visible in discussions within international law, where the concept tends to be viewed as inherently “good”. The paper will discuss whether the concept can be re-thought considering these critiques, deploying queer theories of hope alongside decolonial approaches to do so. In particular, the paper will focus Indigenous understandings of future generations, arguing that they offer an alternative framing for the concept. However, concerns will be raised with the transposition of Indigenous knowledge into Eurocentric international law. In light of this, the paper will conclude by arguing that legal concepts must be critically and carefully designed to ensure the construction of a future whereby climate change and environmental degradation are addressed in an equitable and just way, providing three possible pathways to begin to re-think the concept of future generations accordingly.
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