Intergenerational Justice through the Rejection of Western Heritage

Materialistic Values, Depopulation and Degrowth against Extinction

Abstract

This work intends to address the issue of intergenerational and climate justice in the context of a possible rejection, mainly at a socio-cultural level, of the Western heritage. Starting from the reflections on the theme of the Anthropocene and of a new conception of human responsibility, different from that primarily linked to individual freedom, here we propose to analyze three aspects of this possible rejection, which together can contribute to fostering the mitigation of climate change and a livable future for the new generations. The first aspect is cultural transition from post-materialistic to materialistic values, The second one concerns the issue of contrasting overpopulation, and the third one, to be pursued jointly with the others, is that of “degrowth”, above all in terms of consumption. All these aspects, which must be fostered both on a cultural and institutional level, make up a process that we consider to be already underway and which we believe will allow a sort of intergenerational justice and a planetary future far from the most extreme consequences for humanity, from lack of livability to extinction.