...99 percent confident that the world really was getting warmer and that there was a high degree of probability that it was due to human-made greenhouse gases.
James HansenRead
You can't tie a rope around the ice sheet. You can't build a wall around the ice sheets.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the impossibility of controlling or containing natural phenomena, such as climate change.
James Hansen's quote illustrates the futility of trying to impose artificial limits on the natural world, specifically in the context of climate change and environmental degradation. It suggests that like an ice sheet that cannot be constrained by a rope or a wall, our efforts to control or ignore the effects of climate change are ultimately ineffective. This serves as a reminder of the need for responsible stewardship of the environment rather than avoidance of the consequences.
Themes
Climate ChangeEnvironmentNatural PhenomenaStewardship
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the urgency of addressing climate change at an environmental conference.
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Rising carbon price is essential to 'decarbonize' the economy - to remove the nation towards the era beyond fossil fuels.
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'Goals' and 'caps' on carbon emissions are practically worthless, if coal emissions continue, because of the exceedingly long lifetime of carbon dioxide in the air.
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