Intergenerational justice and the environment Determining the fair use of Mono Basin water

Social policy often involves establishment of principles pertaining to the distribution of benefits and, as such, is certainly within the purview of distributive justice processes. The intent of this paper is to apply theoretical notions about the establishment of justice principles, the perception of injustice, and the means to resolve disputes over what constitutes a just distribution of environmental resources. Given the nature of these resources, the question of securing a just distribution across generations arises. To illustrate issues of justice and intergenerational justice, we present a case study of the water rights litigation between the City of Los Angeles and certain environmental interest groups over the city's diversion of water from the Mono Basin area of the Sierra Mountains in the state of California. Our analysis highlights a variety of group processes inherent in the environmental debate as well as stimulates future directions for both applied and basic research.