Abstract
From the viewpoint of environmental recovery, we investigated the intergenerational ethics of biofuel production for sustainable development by considering anthropocentrism versus environmentalism, fact versus fiction concerning three conditions: the depletion of fossil fuels, global warming due to CO2 emissions, and energy security. Intergenerational ethics are pertinent except in the intersection of anthropocentrism and the fact of under three conditions. On the assumption that a working lifetime spans 50 years from the ages of 15 to 65, the use of agricultural fields for biofuel production has weak implications for intergenerational ethics. A review of the literature showed that carbon fixation by secondary forests grown for biofuel production would not reach that by primary forest in 50 years. Therefore, biofuel production will have strong implications for intergenerational ethics, if intergenerational ethics occurs on discussion for over 50 years generation.
