Environmental Justice Practice Exam

Intergenerational justice asks policy to consider the rights and needs of future generations. A critique of that approach is that invoking obligations to people in the future can sideline Indigenous self-determination and governance, potentially eroding the social resilience that Indigenous communities rely on. Indigenous resilience often rests on self-governance, control over land and resources, and the continuity of cultural practices. When policies are framed mainly around duties to distant others rather than empowering Indigenous decision-makers, they can undermine autonomous governance and disrupt the social networks that help communities adapt to change. This critique is captured by the statement that such claims undermine Indigenous social resilience. The other options miss this focus: they either imply unconditional support for Indigenous governance, or shift attention to emissions, or frame property rights as the mechanism—none of which directly address the concern about self-determination and resilience.