Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1996

Abstract

Part I of this Article introduces the principle that the present generation owes duties to future generations. Part II argues that current environmental laws fail future generations. Part III argues that neither Congress nor the executive branch can protect future generations from environmental harms due to short-term political pressures. Part IV evaluates the current capabilities of agencies to plan for long-term environmental problems. Part V evaluates whether agencies may be capable of better long-term planning by creating a dialogue with the public. Part VI proposes a Superagency to protect the environmental interests of future generations. The Superagency would be independent of Congress and the executive branch and be allowed a measure of limited paternalism to protect future generations, tempered by a requirement to foster public sensitivity to future needs.

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