September 24, 2025Open Access

Has the Nonidentity Problem Been Dissolved?

Key Points

The nonidentity problem raises fundamental questions in environmental ethics related to choices affecting future generations.
Key responses to the problem include the de re/de dicto response and the non-comparative harm response.
Additional responses discussed are the small differences response and the interlocking generations response.
The article concludes with reflections on the implications of solving the nonidentity problem for environmental ethics.

Abstract

In this article, I canvass recent responses to the nonidentity problem as it arises in environmental ethics, specifically in the context of climate change. In section 1, I explain the problem. In section 2, I explain the de re/de dicto response. In section 3, I explain the non-comparative harm response. In section 4, I explain the small differences response. In section 5, I explain the interlocking generations response. In section 6, I explain the non-necessity response. I then wrap up with a brief conclusion.

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