Treat future humans fairly. International law. Common heritage and intergenerational balance

Author: (USA) Edith Brown Weiss, translated by Wang Jin, Wang Fang, Wang Xinhai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-12-01
Features: The international community and nations worldwide now face new challenges that require theoretical tools to address them. In response to this challenge, this book has been timely published. The research project was undertaken by Edith Brown Weiss and funded by the United Nations University. It also responds to another challenge: the need to develop the functions of international law to meet the demands of these issues. These challenges go beyond traditional theories and practices of international life, requiring us to react from theory to institutions to establish a more complex and mature order. This book takes corresponding steps in the field of international law. Clearly, the time dimension is relevant to international law and cannot be considered subordinate to the dominant spatial dimension. Traditionally, the time dimension primarily connects the present and the past. The special feature of the current research lies in systematically connecting the present and the future. This research project is part of a larger endeavor, and the authors have only discussed some specific issues, while much remains to be explored—a pressing task. Therefore, this book is not limited to discussing principles; it also analyzes some practical issues currently existing: How can the concept of intergenerational equity be promoted and reflected in international law? We have yet to organize "public opinion institutions" representing humanity or future generations—so who should advocate for the interests of future generations? What mechanisms should we establish to understand and protect the interests of future generations?