In this paper John Huckle reflects on the outlook of environmental education based on conferences in 1972 and 1992 regarding the lack of sustainable development being realized. Huckle points "education for sustainability" along a pathway provided by critical theory and pedagogy and uses theory to examine the nature of ecological crisis, the contradictions inherent in calls for sustainability, and the opportunities and pitfalls for environmental educators in developments prompted by the Brundtland Report (1987). Huckle suggests that educators can establish valid pathways to "Our Common Future" but that these are likely to be part of a broader and difficult road which leads not only to sustainability but also to greater democracy and justice.