General Assembly resolutions 43/53, 44/207, 45/212 and 46/169 call for the protection of the global climate for present and future generations of mankind. The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development explicitly advanced the rights of future generations when it linked the right to development to the environment and sustainable development. In paragraph 3, the Rio Declaration affirmed that “the right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations.” 51 The following year, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action included the same language in its paragraph 11. 52 The 2002 Johannesburg Declaration, and the Future We Want, the outcome document of Rio + 20, further affirm the links between the environment, sustainable development and human rights. The principle of equity, including intergenerational equity, is also specifically recognized in the UNFCCC which calls for all parties to “protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”. During the panel discussions, the concept of intergenerational equity was highlighted by several discussants. President Anote Tong questioned whether or not we could “guarantee” the futures of our grandchildren. He observed that the people in Tuvalu and other SIDS “have to reconcile [themselves] with the reality that [their] islands will be under water, unless we do something very significant and substantial.” This possible loss of the land mass of an entire country poses a grave threat to the cultural identity and survival of its people including generations yet unborn who may never know their traditional lands and territories. Flavia Pansieri concurred that those who had contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions, including the poorest people in the poorest countries and future generations worldwide, would be affected the most and this was a matter of fundamental injustice. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz called for the implementation of the “polluter pays” principle, an environmental law principle from environmental law that requires that those responsible for environmental harms should pay for the damages they cause. She stressed the need for current actions to take into account likely impacts on future generations. Renan Dalisay urged States and people to come together to agree on a lasting solution to save our children and our children’s children from the devastation wrought by the terrible consequences of climate change. Olav Fyske Tveit asserted that we must act now to address climate change, the impacts of which are already a reality and will affect even more, our future generations. Actions taken now will determine whether or not generations to come have access to the most basic elements of life, including food and water. During the interactive dialogues that followed, participants reiterated that the poorest countries and persons, groups and peoples in vulnerable situations that had contributed the least to climate change were likely to suffer its worst impacts. This was particularly true of children and future generations. Discussants agreed that addressing the impacts of climate change on those in vulnerable situations was a matter of justice and fairness that required immediate action. 51 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro: United Nations, 1992). 52 World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (Vienna: United Nations, 1993). Page 25 of 28