Justice and Sustainability

Abstract

This chapter explores the relationships between justice and sustainability theory and argues that despite being entwined, practical and theoretical challenges prevent an easy or complete integration of these two concepts. Specifically, we examine how the multiscalar, multigenerational, and multidimensional characteris-tics of sustainability interact with ideas of just processes or just outcomes. Using insights from justice theory, sustainability science, and the social psychology of justice, we suggest we ask questions like: what would a just multiscalar and multi-generational sustainability process look like? If social context changes how people use or understand ideas of justice, what should justice look like in complex sustain-ability challenges that extend across traditional boundaries? We suggest that although these issues present persistent theoretical challenges, past and ongoing efforts – such as environmental justice work or international climate negotiations – provide some lessons and guidance about strategies for assisting this integration in practice. Overall this chapter suggests that although fully integrating justice and sustainability may not be entirely possible, sustainability without a consideration of justice would be nonsensical from a normative perspective and difficult to achieve strategically. This leaves us with a strong rationale to insist on the centrality of jus-tice in any sustainability effort, but with an awareness of the complexities of doing so. 162 This chapter focuses on the integration of justice within sustainability theory and practice. It will be argued that the multiscalar, multigenerational, and multidimen-sional characteristics of sustainability problems pose profound theoretical and prac-tical challenges for the integration of justice into sustainability thought and practice which have yet to be fully addressed. However, past and ongoing efforts to work through these challenges in sustainability and related approaches suggest that there are ways to assist this integration in practice.