Democracy,children, and the environment: a case for commons trusts |
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Authors: | Alex Zakaras |
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Affiliation: | Department of Political Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA |
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Abstract: | This essay argues that our unsustainable degradation of the natural environment violates fundamental, democratic obligations to children. I argue, first, that obligations to children are clearer and more determinate than obligations to future generations. I then argue that our democratic obligations to children alone, which can be derived from a theoretically modest, procedural conception of democracy, demand substantial institutional reforms. Finally, I propose that commons trusts – which have received very little attention in the theoretical literature – are the best way of meeting these obligations. |
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Keywords: | future generations children democracy environment commons trusts |
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