It seems conceivable that one might argue that future people have no standing at all — Echarmion

I believe no single future individual has any standing, because we do not know exactly who is going to exist in the future. Therefore it would be impossible to give unborn individuals their own moral standing. However future people in general do deserve some moral standing. Particularly when conceiving of the ways in which we shape our societies and laws. For example if we pollute the earth to the point where we can't live on it, not only could it deprive many alive today of their life, it could potentially lead to the great suffering or deaths of future people. In this more general context these potential future lives do hold moral weight and that responsibility would be those who caused that suffering to future generations.