Generational equity is a new legal concept that seeks to ensure that we make decisions, take actions and put policies in place today without placing an unfair burden on future generations. With the awareness of how today's leaders make choices that are going to have lasting impacts on our environment, economy and society, there has been a growing shift towards supporting the idea of generational equity.

The legal actions being taken under generational equity seek to protect the rights to and resources needed by those who will be inheriting our world, and highlight the long-term ramifications of short-sighted policy.

One of the most widely recognized areas of generational equity litigation is climate change. Climate change litigation has gained significant momentum among youth as rising temperatures, increasing extreme weather and the devastation of our ecosystems have put our planet at risk. Youth-led groups are pursuing legal action against both governments and large corporations for their inaction with regard to combating climate change.

Such lawsuits contend that current governmental and corporate environmental policies do not protect future generations from the negative effects of climate change. These lawsuits seek to hold governments and corporations accountable for their actions in relation to creating a future that is not sustainable, in addition to ensuring that future generations will inherit the world and will have access to healthy and clean environments.