We moeten weer generatiebewust worden!

The recent book 'The Good Ancestor' by Roman Krznaric and the report 'Generationally Aware Policy' of the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy from 1999 share the same message: ensure that the next generations can enjoy at least as much welfare and the life on earth as we. This article provides an overview of the similarities and differences between the two futures studies. While in the past 70 years, when mainly the boomers were in charge, material welfare has increased sharply; however, this has been at the expense of the environment. That is why enhancing the quality of the environment and, in particular, adequate climate policy must be given the highest priority in the coming decades. Krznaric places this in the long-term perspective of good ancestry, which requires a radical change of societal values and institutions. In a somewhat shorter perspective, the political question arises to what extent this radical change can be financed through an increasing national debt and thus at the expense of future generations.