We must answer this question definitively before we can even begin to address how we deal with issues like global climate changes and sustainable development.
The basis for this answer must come from a moral argument. Economically the well-being of future generations is not of any real concern; hell, most economists have trouble predicting current economic actions much less being accurate in predicting economic activity multiple generations from now.

It is not a political answer, other than we must decide if our actions today may be negatively impacting the opportunities of the future. Once we decide then it is our up to us to make certain that our elected officials carry out the policies we deem need to be put in place. Never forget they work for us and must be held accountable for what the do in our name.

So it comes down to a moral choice. Do we change how we do things today so that future generations will have a better tomorrow?

I realize this may sound a little hooky and I understand that with all the arguments about if we can even make change or not are far from over. It is still one of if not the most important questions our generation faces. The question of choice: whether we should or should not do something that may or may not impact the future can easily be viewed by learning from the past.

There is an area in the heartland of the US where Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri meet. It is called the tri state mining area due to the rich mining history of the region. In this area there was a great mining boom back in the early 1900’s. Picher, Cardin, Treece, Joplin, Carthage and many other towns in the area became very wealthy from the lead and other products being mined in their midst. Millions of tons of waste product where brought to the surface as miners undermined miles and miles of the region. Fortunes where made and the economy of the region was off the charts. Over time the mines played out and many towns even disappeared. Leaving millions of tons of mine waste in the midst of the remaining towns and collapsing tunnels under their feet.

In the early 70’s we began to understand the affects of lead on peoples health. Everyone was concerned about lead paint in urban areas, and then someone stumbled on the tri-state mining district and Picher, Oklahoma specifically and the toxic legacy left over from the mining boom of the past. Generations of people negatively impacted by what were leftover from the mining days. The year is 2008 at the time of this writing and people are still being impacted today and will continue to be for at least another generation.

If every one was moved from the area right now there will still be impacts on the next generation. Any one from six months to six years old who lives in what is known as the Tar Creek Superfund site is exposed to potentially damaging lead exposure. Once some one has been removed from the contamination the lead in their systems tends to be sequestered by the body in the skeletal system. In women that lead can be released from the bones and back into the blood stream during pregnancy. The lead will cross the placenta and affect the unborn child. That lead will cause harm to the child more than 100 years after the pollution started it is still impacting people. Long after the profits made from the sale of those mined goods have been spent.

So do we have a moral obligation to the future? All I have to do is look into my daughter’s eyes and find that the answer is yes, most emphatically yes. That is why I do what I do. Now it is up to you, dear reader, to decide not only how you will answer the question but also how will you act upon the answer.