  For much of this entry we have been considering needs in a societal context and have focused on needs-related responsibilities to currently existing members of our society. But questions about responsibilities in connection with needs are certainly not confined to this context. Are nonhuman animals’ needs normatively salient, and if so, how should they be weighed against human needs? Should the needs of future generations bear on current decisions concerning distributing according to need? How should the grave and urgent needs of those in low-income countries condition responsibilities to meet less dire needs of compatriots? These kinds of questions raise a huge range of further issues that we cannot discuss here. Fortunately, there are several entries in this Encyclopedia that discuss such questions and several of these are listed in the section on Related Entries below. For more on the first question  see   moral status of animals.  For more on the second issue see  intergenerational justice.  For more on the third topic see  global justice  and  international distributive justice.  