Giving voice to the future in sustainability: Retrospective assessment to learn prospective stakeholder engagement

There is a broad understanding that intergenerational equity is a necessary, if not sufficient, condition for sustainability. Likewise, there is a growing consensus that sustainability science requires stakeholder engagement to be successful. These two ideas demand some meaningful way of engaging the future as a stakeholder if sustainability is to be operationalized. Rawls' theory of justice provides a model for how this might be accomplished, yet there are both conceptual and practical problems with a Rawlsian approach. We propose using retrospective assessment as a means of learning how to approach future stakeholder engagement in sustainability.

► Intergeneration equity is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for achieving sustainability. ► Stakeholder engagement is a central tenet of sustainability science. ► The future constitutes the largest stakeholder group for sustainability, yet no systematic way to engage them exists. ► A Rawlsian approach to the future has been proposed, but there are difficulties in applying Rawls in sustainability. ► Retrospective assessment for social learning uses the present as stakeholders in past decisions affecting sustainability.