Although the sustainability of development is one of the most important problems facing the world, it has received little attention from the capability approach. This article asks whether the capability approach has anything to offer the debate that has continued for over a quarter of a century. Answering positively, the article outlines a legitimate freedom approach as a fruitful way forward. The approach draws on Thomas Scanlon’s contractualist ethics, suggesting ways to understand the limits to freedoms, the non-identity problem and environmental ethics.
