Quotes

Climate Change and Environment

“There is broad agreement within the scientific community that amplification of the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect by the buildup of various gases introduced by human activity has the potential to produce dramatic changes in climate. Only by taking action now can we endure that future generations will not be put at risk.” ~Statement by 49 Nobel Prize winners and 700 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 1990, Union of Concerned Scientists

“The warnings about global warming have been extremely clear for a long time. We are facing a global climate crisis. It is deepening. We are entering a period of consequences.” ~Al Gore

“In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create but by what we refuse to destroy.” ~John C. Sawhill

“I don’t know what it is going to be like the rest of my life on this planet. But I can tell you this: I have had enough experience and enough knowledge to believe that unless we reverse what is happening on this planet, my dear friends, we are going to hand our children a planet that is badly damaged.” ~John McCain

"The reality of global climate change is urgent. The stakes are high - locally and globally - and we need to act. As a City government, we've already cut our greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% compared to 1990 levels. But it's not enough - we need to work together as a community to set responsible limits on global warming pollution." ~Mayor Greg Nickels, Seattle,WA

“Global warming is too serious for the world any longer to ignore its danger or split into opposing factions on it.” ~Tony Blair

“Two thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, engaged in the most elaborate, well organized scientific collaboration in the history of humankind, have produced long-since a consensus that we will face a string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves and deal with the underlying causes of global warming.” ~Al Gore

"All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster." ~Barack Obama

"The environment is the infrastructure of our communities. As a nation, as a civilization, it's our obligation to create communities for our children that provide them with opportunities for dignity and good health. When we destroy nature, we diminish ourselves and impoverish our children. We ignore that at our own peril." ~Bobby Kennedy

“We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late. The science is clear. The global warming debate is over.” ~Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Technology policy lies at the core of the climate change challenge. Even with a cutback in wasteful energy spending, our current technologies cannot support both a decline in carbon dioxide emissions and an expanding global economy. If we try to restrain emissions without a fundamentally new set of technologies, we will end up stifling economic growth, including the development prospects for billions of people. The key is new low-carbon technology, not simply energy efficiency.” ~Jeffrey D Sachs Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University

“Levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere and the rate of that rise is accelerating. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and the scale of those impacts will also accelerate, until we decide to do something about it." ~Martin Parry, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2008

"The planet is in a precarious place right now and extreme poverty affects a billion people who are living on less than a dollar a day, scrambling for their life." ~Bono

“Climate change will have the biggest effect on people who have done the least to cause it.” ~Bill Gates

"If we don't act now, it will be too late. Our generation must be the one that says 'yes' to alternative, renewable fuels and ends forever our dependence on foreign oil. Our generation must be the one that accepts responsibility for conserving natural resources and demands the tools to do it. And our generation must be the one that builds the New Energy Economy.” ~John Edwards

“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” ~Henry David Thoreau

“Increasingly, the world around us looks as if we hated it.” ~Alan Watts

“We should be treating, I think, the whole issue of climate change and global warming with a far greater degree of priority than I think is happening now.” ~Prince Charles

“The truth is - the globe is warming – the facts are rapidly becoming indisputable. The temperature of the sea is rising, glacial ice is receding, and the world’s climate is changing. This warming trend is not only affecting ecosystems but also clearly increasing hurricane activity and intensity.” ~Tri Robinson, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Boise

“Recent climate change research has uncovered a disturbing feature of the earth's climate system: it is capable of sudden, violent shifts. This is a critically important realization. Climate change will not necessarily be gradual, as assumed in most climate change projections, but may instead involve sudden jumps between very different states.” ~David Suzuki Foundation

“We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.” ~Thomas Edison

“Right now the world is on pace to build hundreds of new coal power plants over the coming decades, adding vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and if that happens the fight against global warming is as good as lost.” ~Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine 2008

“The climate change crisis that we believe is occurring is not something we can wait ten years, five years, even a year, to address. Climate change is real and human induced. It calls for action soon.” ~Rev. Richard Cicik, Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals

"If you look at climate change over the long term, it will profoundly affect the pillars of public health: water, sanitation, air quality and sufficient food," ~Dr. David Heymann, Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment at WHO

"Taking steps to save energy just makes good sense. Whether you're doing it for the economy or for the environment, it just makes sense to do these things." ~Mayor Raymond P. Miller, Sandpoint, ID

“Our nation has both an obligation and self-interest in facing head-on the serious environmental, economic and national security threat posed by global warming.” ~John McCain

“Today we're seeing that climate change is about more than a few unseasonably mild winters or hot summers. It's about the chain of natural catastrophes and devastating weather patterns that global warming is beginning to set off around the world. The frequency and intensity of which are breaking records thousands of years old.” ~Barack Obama

“It’s not just global warming, it’s not just a loss of biodiversity, it’s not just the pollution of our oceans and the clearing of our rainforests and all these complicated systems, The [11th Hour] movie talks about the world economy, it talks about politics, it talks about personal transformation and environmental consciousness that we need to have in this generation to implement a lot of these changes that need to occur.” ~Leonardo DiCaprio

“What sets climate change apart from these other crises is that most people can't see the problem -- CO2 gases are invisible. If you could see them and they were colored red, 50 years ago it would have looked like a small brush fire smoldering around the world, and today it would look like a wildfire raging across the globe. We desperately need leaders who can help bring visibility and forge solutions to this imperceptible menace before it's too late.” ~Sir Richard Branson

“Over 46,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square mile of ocean today. In the Central Pacific, there are up to 6 pounds of marine litter to every pound of plankton.” ~United Nations Environment Programme 2006

“Global warming is one of those things, not like an earthquake where there's a big bang and you say, 'Oh, my God, this is really, has hit us.' It creeps up on you. Half a degree temperature difference from one year to the next, a little bit of rise of the ocean, a little bit of melting of the glaciers, and then all of a sudden it is too late to do something about it.” ~Arnold Schwarzenegger

"We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity." ~Al Gore

"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure." ~John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day

"The environment is the common denominator of all humanity. It's our common ground, quite literally - it's the thing we all share and it's connected to everything else." ~Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"Sustainability means doing things better - not doing without." ~David Suzuki

"Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are, by accident of fate, alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet." ~Carl Sagan

"The Sierra Club's network of activists and volunteers are dedicated to cleaning up our vehicles, buildings, and electricity grid to drastically cut carbon emissions and curb global warming." ~The Sierra Club

“If there’s not action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment." ~Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

"Our situation, with global warming and air quality and all of that, has gotten to be catastrophic." ~Morgan Freeman

“This is a deeply spiritual issue...Do we want to spend more time trying to care for our fellow man or do we want to just pursue more virtual reality? That's the issue before us and it's being played out in the world of the environment.” ~Ed Begley Jr.

"Supporting the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement is a no-brainer for me. Not only is the right thing to do, but it is the economically smart thing for my community and for our nation. If cities and our citizens do not get involved, our future will be bleak." ~Mayor Roger Chase, Pocatello, ID

"Human activities are increasingly altering the Earth's climate.... It is virtually certain that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will cause global surface climate to be warmer. The unprecedented increases in greenhouse gas concentrations, together with other human influences on climate over the past century and those anticipated for the future, constitute a real basis for concern." ~American Geophysical Union

"We know the science, we see the threat, and we know the time for action is now." ~Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

"For the last 20 to 30 years, we believe greenhouse gases have been the dominant influence on recent climate change." ~Robert Cahalan, climatologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

"It's very important to understand that climate change is not just another issue in this complicated world of proliferating issues. Climate change is THE issue which, unchecked, will swamp all other issues." ~Ross Gelbspan

"Nuclear power as a solution to global warming is theoretically possible, but the proliferation problems and accident risks it would create would, I think, be intolerable because you have to build an immense number of nuclear power plants, one large plant a week around the world for the next 40 years, to make a significant dent in the global warming problem." ~Arjun Mkkhijani, President, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

"I believe that the destiny of mankind lies in his responsibility to maintain a healthy environment. Each generation must do its part to make sure that the next generation has a livable environment." ~Mayor Eric H. Jones, West Park, FL

"The good news is we know what to do. The good news is, we have everything we need now to respond to the challenge of global warming. We have all the technologies we need; more are being developed. And as they become available and become more affordable when produced in scale, they will make it easier to respond. But we should not wait, we cannot wait, we must not wait." While human-induced global warming is not going to turn present-day Earth into present-day Mars, global warming is dire enough that our most distinguished scientists recently concluded that as many as 1 million species on the planet could be extinct by 2050 if affairs do not change.” ~Congressman Jay Inslee

“All this technological innovation needs to start soon if we are to have a chance to stabilize carbon emissions at levels that avoid huge and potentially devastating global costs.” ~Jeffrey D Sachs Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University

“And everyone -- every American -- must make an effort to make us energy independent and combat global warming. Our national security and our planet depend on it. It's about creating a new energy economy here in the United States, and doing it quickly, with broad, bold strokes. It's the way to a bright, strong, prosperous future for the United States -- and for the world.” ~Bill Richardson

"Climate change is for real. We have just a small window of opportunity and it is closing rather rapidly. There is not a moment to lose." ~Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“All of the scientists I know, and I know a lot of them, believe that we can avoid catastrophic climate change if we act now. They won't be saying that five years from now if we've done nothing.” ~Lauri David

"My administration will be a diligent steward of the environment. We will work with all District residents to promote clean and healthy neighborhoods in our Nation's capital by reducing litter, improving air quality, cleaning our rivers, conserving energy and cutting our greenhouse gas emissions." ~Adrian M Fenty, Washington DC

"There is nothing more important than sustaining the environmental capacity to protect health and life on earth." ~Mayor Kenneth A Flatto, Fairfield, CT

Highway Infrastructure

“Years of deferred infrastructure investments and maintenance and [the] failure of public officials to act on infrastructure needs place the public at risk and hinder our country’s economic growth and competitiveness. It is a true crisis.” ~Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE, ASCE’s executive director

“The nation’s highways, which earned a D in ASCE’s 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, also face considerable challenges. For one thing, new road construction has not kept pace with road usage. Vehicle travel on all public roads in the United States increased from approximately 600 billion vehicle mi (965 billion vehicle km) in the mid 1950s to approximately 3 trillion vehicle mi (4.8 trillion vehicle km) today, according to a May 2007 report, Future Options for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, an initiative of the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board.” ~Robert L. Reid, Civil Engineering Magazine

“By some estimates, spending by local, state and Federal governments would have to nearly double to more than $100 billion to adequately improve our existing highway networks. The condition of the nation's nearly 600,000 bridges is also in doubt. A 2003 survey found that a third of all bridges in major urban areas were considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The cost to fix? Nearly $200 billion over the next 20 years.” ~Jeff Yastine, Nightly Business Report Correspondent

“The total price tag to adequately address all of America’s infrastructure needs, ASCE concluded in 2005, would be $1.6 trillion over a five-year period. This figure excluded security needs, which have not yet been adequately assessed.” ~Robert L. Reid, Civil Engineering Magazine

“Think of American history and great works of engineering, many of them enormous infrastructure projects, easily come to mind. From the Erie Canal to the Panama Canal, the transcontinental railroad to the interstate highway system, Hoover Dam to the Golden Gate Bridge, building things—and building them big—just seemed to be part of what it meant to be an American. But today such projects seem in danger of becoming ancient American history. Budget deficits, political infighting, the not-in-my-backyard syndrome, and a host of other problems often delay, diminish, or nullify plans for both new construction and needed upgrades to the infrastructure.” ~Robert L. Reid, Civil Engineering Magazine

National Security

"Climate change is and will be a significant threat to our national security and in a larger sense to life on earth as we know it to be." ~Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, retired, former U.S Army Chief of Staff

“I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?” ~Robert Redford

Fossil Fuels

“The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases that allows radiative forcing and contributes to global warming.” ~Science Daily 2008

“We’ve embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil. Embrace the future and recognize the growing demand for a wide range of fuels or ignore reality and slowly-but surely-be left behind.” ~Mike Bowlin, chairman and CEO of ARCO (now BP)

“The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we're contributing to the warming of the earth's atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe.” ~Barack Obama

“The U.S. is increasingly dependent on foreign oil for its transportation needs, importing 60% of its petroleum, up from 40% during the first Gulf War.” ~Bryon Walsh, Time Magazine

"The steady melting of the Greenland sheet together with the perhaps sudden melting of the West Antarctic sheet would hold the prospect for some 12 meters of seal level rise. The melting of the East Antarctic shelf would add another 25 meters, marking ... 'the end of civilization as we know it.’ ” ~James Woolsey, former CIA Director

"Through our inattention, we have wasted the years that we might have used to prepare for lessened oil supplies. The next ten years are critical." ~Kenneth S. Deffeyes

"America's dependence on oil not only leaves families vulnerable to rising prices, but it compromises our national security and contributes to the crisis of global warming.” ~John Edwards

“The scientific consensus on climate change is increasingly clear: unless we act to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the planet will continue to warm over the next century, with widespread and potentially devastating effects.” ~Senator Hillary Clinton

"We are not good at recognizing distant threats even if their probability is 100%. Society ignoring [peak oil] is like the people of Pompeii ignoring the rumblings below Vesuvius." ~James Schlesiger, former US Energy Secretary

"I will work for energy policies that recognize oil won't last forever." ~Congressman Roscoe Bartlett

"It is, in other words, time for a national oil change. That is apparent to anyone who has looked at our national dipstick." ~Al Gore

Energy

“The environment is the very foundation of the economy. Nature provides services such as clean air, water, and soil that are rarely factored into the cost of doing business.” ~David Suzuki

“Solar energy—power from the sun—is free and inexhaustible. This vast, clean energy resource represents a viable alternative to the fossil fuels that currently pollute our air and water, threaten our public health, and contribute to global warming. Failing to take advantage of such a widely available and low-impact resource would be a grave injustice to our children and all future generations.” ~Union of Concerned Scientists

“Since global energy consumption will double, and perhaps triple, by the end of the century, scientists and engineers must find ways to supply new energy in a way that minimizes release of atmospheric greenhouse gases.” ~Raymond L. Orbach, U.S. Department of Energy.

“A renewable electricity standard of 20% by 2020 would create 1.8 times more jobs than using fossil fuels.” ~Union of Concerned Scientists

“Solar power has long promised clean, renewable, distributed power generation. The cost of solar power has dropped considerably in recent years, even as the reliability of available panels has increased. With rising energy costs, solar power generation now stands to expand dramatically in usage over the next decades.” ~US Dept of Energy 2008

“The amount of energy from the sun that falls on Earth’s surface is enormous. All the energy stored in Earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is matched by the energy from just 20 days of sunshine.” ~Union of Concerned Scientists

“Renewable energy could save consumers $105 billion a year by 2020--totaling nearly $440 billion between 2002 and 2020.” ~Union of Concerned Scientists