It is often said that a focus on the short term, the here-and-now, is one of the reasons for the different crises we find our world entangled in. Since the Brundtland report Our Common Future we understand sustainable development as development that does not take away future generations’ ability to thrive. Even more so, it takes their interests into account. But how can decision makers take future generations’ interests into account if the future is by definition unknowable – as most serious futures scholars would agree.
This paper investigates different attempts to draw future generations’ perspectives into present policy and decision making, from youth parliaments to seats for future generations. While many of these approaches are still relatively new, we aggregate lessons and highlight possible pathways for further futures initiatives.