Climate change, children and future generations

Climate change is driven by the fossil fuel consumption of past and current generations. Its effects will disproportionately fall on today’s children and those yet to be born (‘future generations’). We chart the historical contribution of high-income countries, including the UK, to their climate futures before exploring the intergenerational orientations of two key actors in climate politics: the United Nations (UN), the collective voice of sovereign states, and adults with the right to vote in these states. Taking UK adults as our example, we suggest that adults share the UN’s commitment to protecting children and future generations from accelerating climate change. We conclude by noting the importance of this ethical alignment at a time of polarised debates about climate change and the increasing fragility of global institutions like the UN.