Sustainable Sufficientarianism: Combining 'Enough for all' with Eco-Sufficiency

Schramme, Thomas ORCID: 0000-0001-6319-6635 (2024) Sustainable Sufficientarianism: Combining 'Enough for all' with Eco-Sufficiency ETHICS POLICY & ENVIRONMENT, ahead- (ahead-). pp. 1-16. ISSN 2155-0085, 2155-0093

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Abstract

Sufficientarianism is a theory of social justice that determines individual entitlements by setting a threshold of what is enough for a decent life. Sufficientarianism therefore seems to be a suitable ally for theories of climate justice, because it restricts claims of justice to a minimum. Furthermore, the notion of sufficiency has been theorized in ecological discourse, so there is pertinent conceptual overlap between the two perspectives. In this paper, I aim to combine sufficientarianism with eco-sufficiency. I will use a framework of needs to highlight different normative urgencies involved in practices that involve carbon emissions. However, as I will argue, the normative urgency of needs might cause problems for restricting emissions to levels that are compatible with planetary limits. In brief, the very aim of achieving sufficientarian justice might clash with the aim of eco-sufficiency. Sufficientarians should therefore critically engage with needs satisfiers as well, which are the means provided to satisfy needs. This step in my argument will be achieved through complementing sufficientarianism with an element of comparative justice, that is, interpersonal and diachronic considerations that help to determine the comparative urgency of claims. The overarching aim of sustainable sufficientarianism is to provide enough for everyone to live a decent life over time.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Climate justice, sufficiency, sufficientarianism, needs, carbon emissions
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	07 Oct 2024 13:47
Last Modified:	23 May 2026 09:22
DOI:	10.1080/21550085.2024.2410672
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3184925
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