Ethics of Sustainability: Moral Responsibility for the Future
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64882/ijrt.v14.iS1.1072Keywords:
Sustainability ethics, moral responsibility, inter-generational justice, environmental ethics, future generationsAbstract
The growing ecological crisis from climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion has transformed sustainability from a technical concept to a fundamental ethical concern. At its philosophical core, sustainability embodies a moral responsibility toward the future—to future generations and to the ecological systems that sustain life. This article views sustainability as a normative ethical framework based on responsibility, justice, and long-term ethical reasoning. Drawing on classical moral philosophy, contemporary environmental ethics, and the ethics of responsibility developed by Hans Jonas, this paper explores inter-generational justice, the moral status of nature, and the ethical implications of technological power. It argues that sustainability should be understood not simply as a policy objective but as a moral imperative that requires control, care, and moral foresight in human actions.
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