On the concept of sustainability and future generations. A brief constitutional overview

The principle of sustainability had its beginnings in the elaboration of international environmental law and immediately took on an intergenerational significance.Initially, the concept of sustainability was mainly perceived as an ethical principle: over time, thanks to the progressive codifications that concerned it and also to the elaborations offered by the theory of justice, it has gained an authentically juridical consistency.Today the principle of sustainability is experiencing a phase of progressive emancipation from the restrictive perimeter of environmental law.In particular, the principle of sustainability is increasingly called upon to serve as the nerve center of the construction and operation of all public apparatuses within which systemic choices are made by the various communities involved.