We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.
Stephen HawkingRead
If it were only a few degrees, that would be serious, but we could adapt to it. But the danger is the warming process might be unstable and run away. We could end up like Venus, covered in clouds and with the surface temperature of 400 degrees. It could be too late if we wait until the bad effects of warming become obvious. We need action now to reduce emission of carbon dioxide.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the urgent need to combat climate change before it's too late.
Stephen Hawking warns about the potential consequences of climate change, likening Earth to Venus if actions are not taken to reduce carbon emissions. He stresses the urgency of addressing global warming and suggests that waiting for its adverse effects to become apparent could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Themes
Climate ChangeGlobal WarmingCarbon EmissionsEnvironmentAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about environmental issues, one might say: 'As Stephen Hawking pointed out, we need action now to combat climate change.'
More from Stephen Hawking
All quotes →I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.
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It surprises me how disinterested we are today about things like physics, space, the universe and philosophy of our existence, our purpose, our final destination. Its a crazy world out there. Be curious.
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I was not a good student. I did not spend much time at college; I was too busy enjoying myself.
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The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic but technological-technologies that flowed directly from advances in basic science. Clearly, no scientist better represents those advances than Albert Einstein: TIME's Person of the Century.
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In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind.
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Similar quotes
So if the worth of the arts were measured by the matter with which they deal, this art-which some call astronomy, others astrology, and many of the ancients the consummation of mathematics-would be by far the most outstanding. This art which is as it were the head of all the liberal arts and the one most worthy of a free man leans upon nearly all the other branches of mathe matics. Arithmetic, geometry, optics, geodesy, mechanics, and whatever others, all offer themselves in its service.
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I’ve spent something like 17 years working on a theory for which there is essentially no direct experimental support.
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The cross pollination of disciplines is fundamental to truly revolutionary advances in our culture.
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It is always noteworthy that all those who seriously study this science [the theory of numbers] conceive a sort of passion for it.
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I've always been very one-sided about science, and when I was younger, I concentrated almost all my effort on it.
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Adding CO2 to the air is like throwing another blanket on the bed.
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