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44 All About Nature Newton & Freyfogle

Surely this is, in some way, a conservation problem. But in straints on how we can use it, which is to say nature limits
what way? A common answer is that our usage patterns our options. We also believe that some forms of moral rea-
are unsustainable because supplies are running out. But soning are better than others; on this point, too, all goals
to view this as a supply issue—as sustainability encour- are not equal. And there is the immense practical value
ages us to do—is to look in the wrong direction. The that comes when conservation forces can support a com-
conservation problem with oil is not that we are running mon platform. Second, The question of who decides is a
out; it is that we are not running out fast enough. The challenging one, which we lack space to address. Finally,
conservation worry is about the ill effects of oil consump- it is entirely possible that people in many places cannot
tion on nature, not about the exhaustion of underground achieve a sound conservation goal while also achieving
petroleum pools. Massive burning of fossil fuel severely social justice, economic security, and other goals. Partic-
disrupts the functioning of natural systems; for that rea- ularly in the short run, trade-offs are inevitable. The way
son it is contrary to sound conservation. to make them, however, is not to blend all goals together
Uniting the three responses to our essay is the con- and come up with a single one so that we can claim over-
tention that sustainability is nonetheless a good term be- all progress even as nature degrades (and perhaps even
cause it is so inclusive. All manner of people can gather hide the degradation). This is a prescription for muddled
together under it and talk. Perhaps so, and perhaps some thinking and makes difficult issues even worse. Far better,
good might come from it. What, though, are they going we believe, is to identify our conservation failures, admit
to talk about, and how structured will their discussions them, and strive to do better.
be? They could spend lifetimes under the big tent, argu-
ing with one another, and rarely stumble upon the issues
that ought to inform a sound conservation goal. We need Literature Cited
to find wide agreement upon a sound goal; without a
Ehrenfeld, D. 2005. Living with the of imperfection of Sustainability.
goal it is hard to see how we can achieve it or measure
Conservation Biology 19:33–35.
progress toward it. With a good goal in hand we could Freyfogle, E. T., and J. L. Newton. 2002. Putting science in its place.
take a pragmatic approach and try out all manner of pro- Conservation Biology 16:863–873.
posed means, to test how well they worked. Padoch, C., and R. R. Sears. 2005. Conserving concepts: in praise of
We close with three points. First, we do not mean to sustainability. Conservation Biology 19:39–41.
Paehlke, R. 2005. Sustainability as a bridging concept. Conservation
suggest that only one phrasing of conservation’s goal is
Biology 19:36–38.
possible or that a conservation goal, once set, is unchange- Wackernagel, M., and W. Rees. 1996. Our ecological footprint: reducing
able. We do believe that nature itself imposes strong con- human impact on the Earth. New Society Publishers, Philadelphia.

Conservation Biology
Volume 19, No. 1, February 2005
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