For some conservation of resources means the non-use of resources?

Question

For others, conservation means the efficient use of resources. If we decide to stop using certain resources, (i.e. oil, lumber) do we preserve them for future generations or merely lower the standard of living for future generations?

Answer 1

It depends on the context. When wildlife habitats are concerned, conservation indeed means non-use or very limited use of resources (for example, there are only certain things you are allowed to do in national parks). In the context of commodity resources (oil, water, etc.) conservation means using less. In the context of renewable resources (such as lumber) conservation may actually mean replenishment (after cutting down the lumber, forestry companies seed the lots again).

As to future generations and their standard of living, a lot depends on how many people those generations would include and how fast the technology will progress between now and then. So there is really no good answer to this part of your question; it all depends on the assumptions you make about what the future is going to be like...

Answer 2

I think some resources we can stop using altogether (like lead in paint for example), but others, like oil and lumber will be just about impossible to totally stop using. Oil goes into so many other things it's crazy! Everything plastic, for example, has oil in it. Lumber too is something that's really hard to totally stop using. Are we not supposed to use paper any more or something??

We could certainly use less of these resources, however! We could easily build cars and trucks that get much better gas mileage to use less oil. And to use less lumber, we could better promote recycling so not as many trees have to be cut down now.

Answer 3

Forget future generations, the standard of living of the current generation is in jeopardy within the next 30-years. Current world consumption patterns far exceed the biosphere's ability to regenerate, this is referred to as overshoot. The idea of conservation is to reduce our consumption to below the level at which the biosphere can replenish resources.

We have a choice of voluntary conservation now, or forced conservation in the future. Either way, the world can literally not sustain the level of consumption and resource utilization we are currently experiencing. Further, as the living standards of the most populous nations in the world continue to improve, we will see an acceleration of resource consumption and the associated fight for resources.