QuoteProject
The insistence on complete certainty about the full details of global warming-the most serious threat we have ever faced-is actually an effort to avoid facing the awful, uncomfortable truth: that we must act boldly, decisively, comprehensively, and quickly, even before we know every last detail about the crisis. Those who continue to argue that the appropriate response is merely additional research are simply seeking to camouflage timidity or protect their vested interest in the status quo.
Al Gore
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the urgency of taking action on global warming, despite uncertainties about all the details.

Al Gore's quote sheds light on the critical nature of addressing global warming, emphasizing that the hesitation for complete certainty can hinder necessary action. It suggests that rather than waiting for absolute details, we must act with boldness and decisiveness, highlighting that some people may resist change out of fear or a desire to maintain their current interests. The message is clear: the consequences of inaction are far graver than the unknowns we face.

Themes

Global WarmingActionCertaintyUrgencyEnvironment

In practice

Example use cases

During a climate change conference to emphasize the need for immediate actions rather than waiting for perfect data.

More from Al Gore

Global warming is real and human activity is the main cause. The consequences are mainly negative and headed toward catastrophic, unless we act. However, the good news is that we can meet this challenge. It is not too late, and we have everything we need to get started.
Al GoreRead
The climate crisis is not a political issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.
Al GoreRead
I think it's harder for people than it should be. But as more and more of us become carbon neutral and change the patterns in our lives to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, we are now beginning to see the changes in policy that are needed.
Al GoreRead
We have a planetary emergency. We have to find a way to create, in the generation of those alive today, a sense of generational mission.
Al GoreRead
CO2 is the exhaling breath of our civilization, literally... Changing that pattern requires a scope, a scale, a speed of change that is beyond what we have done in the past.
Al GoreRead
Well-established theories collapse under the weight of new facts and observations which cannot be explained, and then accumulate to the point where the once useful theory is clearly obsolete.
Al GoreRead

Similar quotes

And the distinction between violent and non-violent action is that the former is exclusively bent upon the destruction of the old, and the latter is chiefly concerned with the establishment of something new.
Hannah ArendtRead
We have not made the Revolution, the Revolution has made us.
Georg BuchnerRead
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.
Bren BrownRead
A significant portion of the earth's population will soon recognize, if they haven't already done so, that humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die.
Eckhart TolleRead
I've been in movement work since I was 16 years old. Black Lives Matter becomes an important part of the story, but it's not the only part of the story.
Patrisse CullorsRead
Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.
Tony RobbinsRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Al Gore | QuoteProject