You agree wit h this? Discussing the roles of human rights and sustainability. When considering

environmental ethics and technology. In the 21st century, what is the relationship between sustainability and human rights? How does this impact the development of new technologies?

One difficulty with an affirmative answer to this question bears on the requirement of mutuality. Human rights are universalistically mutual, in that they are rights of all humans against all humans: every human is both the subject or right-holder and the respondent or duty-bearer, so that there is a mutual sharing of the benefits of rights and the burdens of duties among all humans. On another construal, it is only governments that are the respondents or duty-bearers of human rights, since it is usually only they that have the power both to violate human rights and to implement them. Still, in principle, governments here act as the representatives of their citizens, so that it is still the latter that ultimately bear the burdens of being the respondents of human rights.

An original essay from the 1st edition of this volume.

Future generations, however, cannot be properly construed as owing duties to the present generation, since they are in no position to implement the present generation’s human rights. So the mutuality required for human rights seems lacking in their case.

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