The problem of pollution in Romania: intergenerational justice – preserving the “clean air” resource for Bucharest

Abstract

This paper examines the problem of air pollution in Romania through the lens of intergenerational justice, with a particular focus on the preservation of the “clean air” resource in Bucharest. The central research question asks whether, and to what extent, Romanian legislation and public policies regarding air quality reflect principles of intergenerational justice and contribute to the protection of this resource for future generations. The paper has three main objectives: first, to outline the theoretical framework of distributive justice and resource allocation, drawing on the works of John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin; second, to explore the normative debate on intergenerational justice and the duty of present generations to conserve natural resources; and third, to assess the extent to which Romanian legal and policy measures address air pollution in Bucharest in a way that is consistent with these theoretical perspectives. Methodologically, the paper relies on qualitative analysis of political and philosophical literature, together with a document analysis of Romanian and European legislation, policy measures, and publicly available air-quality data. The findings suggest that, at the normative level, Romania has developed a legal and policy framework aimed at improving air quality and limiting pollution, including measures such as the Air Quality Law, the “Oxygen Tax,” and incentive schemes for low-emission vehicles. These measures indicate an increasing institutional recognition of the need to protect environmental resources for future generations, although important implementation and monitoring challenges remain.