Quotes about climate
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Tulsi Gabbard photo

“Join us as we work for a #PeaceDividend—taking the trillions spent on regime change #war & nuclear arms race & investing them to ensure #healthcare for all, combat climate change, rebuild our infrastructure, & meet the needs of all Americans…”

Tulsi Gabbard (1981) U.S. Representative from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district

Twitter, https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1103961763614203904 (8 March 2019)
Twitter account, March 2019

Tulsi Gabbard photo

“The majority of US agrees on need to address healthcare, climate change, corruption, etc. Divisions that lead to civil war are the fault of partisan pols seeking votes and a corporate-owned media establishment that pushes a war agenda and profits off controversy & divisiveness.”

Tulsi Gabbard (1981) U.S. Representative from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district

Twitter, https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1103277298562842625 (6 March 2019)
Twitter account, March 2019

James Gustave Speth photo

“I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation.”

James Gustave Speth (1942) American environmental lawyer and advocate

[Crockett, Daniel, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/daniel-crockett/nature-connection-will-be-the-next-big-human-trend_b_5698267.html/Nature, Connection Will Be the Next Big Human Trend, Huffington Post, Aug 22, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20160105052014/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/daniel-crockett/nature-connection-will-be-the-next-big-human-trend_b_5698267.html, January 5, 2016, yes]

Erykah Badu photo

“I don’t regret anything. I don’t like to make people feel uncomfortable or bad. But people are very sensitive in this climate. It’s very understandable. I totally understand. I get mad with them. I get it…But no. I would never take back a message of love…I’m sorry that it was misunderstood. But not sorry for saying it because it was from a place of love. And sometimes that happens.”

Erykah Badu (1971) American neo-soul singer

On the pitfalls of expression her opinions in in “'I'm not sorry I said it': Erykah Badu on music, motherhood and wildly unpopular opinions” https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/24/erykah-badu-interview in The Guardian (2018 May 24)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo

“Millennials and people, you know, Gen Z and all these folks that will come after us are looking up and we’re like: The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change and your biggest issue is how are we gonna pay for it?”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (1989) American politician

“World is going to end in 12 years” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHk8nn0nw18&t=9s (21 January 2019) interview by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Twitter Quotes (2019), January 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo
Bill McKibben photo
David Attenborough photo

“Right now we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.”

David Attenborough (1926) British broadcaster and naturalist

Speech at the Katowice Climate Change Conference, "David Attenborough: collapse of civilisation is on the horizon" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/03/david-attenborough-collapse-civilisation-on-horizon-un-climate-summit, The Guardian, 3 December 2018.
Climate Change Conference 2018

Noam Chomsky photo
Jeremy Corbyn photo
Leanne Wood photo

“Leaving the EU would risk our hard-won gains including rights at the workplace, access for businesses to the single market and would diminish our contribution to global challenges such as climate change and conflict resolution.”

Leanne Wood (1971) Welsh Plaid Cymru politician

Osborne: Brexit will put 20,000 Welsh jobs at risk https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36357889 BBC News (23 May 2016)
2016

James Cameron photo

“This may surprise you, because it surprised me when I found out, but the single biggest thing that an individual can do to combat climate change is to stop eating animals.”

James Cameron (1954) Canadian film director

Because of the huge, huge carbon footprint of animal agriculture. I was shocked to find out that animal agriculture directly or indirectly accounts for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions, compared to all transportation – every ship, car, truck, plane on the planet only accounts for 13%. Less than animal agriculture. So most people think that buying a Prius is the answer, and it’s certainly not wrong, but it’s not the biggest agent of climate change.
From an " Ask Me Anything https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/22uz4m/i_am_james_cameron_ama/" session on Reddit; as quoted in "Director James Cameron on Vegan Diet: Like I've Set the Clock Back 15 Years", in Ecorazzi (12 April 2014) http://www.ecorazzi.com/2014/04/12/director-james-cameron-on-vegan-diet-like-ive-set-the-clock-back-15-years/

Hilda Heine photo

“Prolonged and unseasonal droughts are hitting us real hard, and salt water is creeping into our freshwater lands. We are on the very front line of climate change. We are seeking the approval of our Parliament to declare a national climate crisis to spare no effort in mobilizing our response to this fight.”

Hilda Heine (1951) Marshallese politician

Hilda Heine (2019) cited in " We Are On The Front Line Of Climate Change, Marshall Islands President Says https://www.npr.org/2019/09/24/763679518/we-are-on-the-front-line-of-climate-change-marshall-islands-president-says" on npr, 24 September 2019.

António Guterres photo

“Climate change is the defining issue of our time – and we are at a defining moment. We face a direct existential threat.”

António Guterres (1949) Secretary-General of the United Nations

António Guterres, "Secretary-General's remarks on Climate Change" https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-09-10/secretary-generals-remarks-climate-change-delivered, 10 September 2018.

Michael Witzel photo

“In general, the books of RV level I (RV 4-6) are thoroughly South Asian and have reference to local climate, trees and animals. We therefore have to take them seriously at their word, and cannot claim that they belong just to Afghanistan.”

Michael Witzel (1943) German-American philologist

WITZEL 2000: The Languages of Harappa. Witzel, Michael. Feb. 17, 2000. (WITZEL 2000a:§13). Quoted in Talageri, S. G. (2010). The Rigveda and the Avesta. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.

Imran Khan photo
Martin Luther King, Jr. photo
Thurgood Marshall photo
Emmanuel Macron photo

“We have entered a world of great migrations and we will have more and more of it. Because the planet is in deep imbalance, we will have in the coming decades migrations due to geopolitical conflicts that will continue to play out, and we will have climate migrations... France will not be able to stem it... migratory phenomena much stronger than what we experienced with Syria."”

Emmanuel Macron (1977) 25th President of the French Republic

22 February 2017 https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/politique/sante-handicap-et-refugies-jean-claude-ameisen-debat-avec-emmanuel-macron_110755
2017
Original: (fr) Nous sommes entrés dans un monde de grandes migrations. Et on en aura de plus en plus. Parce que la planète est en profond déséquilibre, nous auront dans les décennies qui viennent des migrations dues à des conflits géopolitiques qui vont continuer à se jouer et nous aurons des migrations climatiques... La France ne pourra pas l'endiguer... des phénomènes migratoires beaucoup plus forts que ce qu'on a vécu avec la Syrie.

John Allen Paulos photo

“Together the, two ingredients—a perceived incongruity with a point and an appropriate emotional climate—seem to be both necessary and sufficient for humor.”

John Allen Paulos (1945) American mathematician

Source: Mathematics and Humor: A Study of the Logic of Humor (1980), Chapter 1, “Mathematics and Humor” (p. 10)

“Even depressions end. Climate chaos may not.”

Greg Craven American teacher and writer

Source: What's the Worst That Could Happen?: A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate (2009), Chapter 9 "Author's Conclusion" (p. 195)

George Monbiot photo
Shaun Chamberlin photo
Marianne Williamson photo
Kal Penn photo

“I mean no disrespect to any of our current climate at all, but I have been an actor for almost two decades now, and this is a dream come true to be able to create a network comedy that just makes people laugh…What I love about comedy is that, like music, sports and food, it brings us all together.”

Kal Penn (1977) American actor and civil servant

On his show Sunnyside in “Kal Penn Talks Putting A Twist On Immigration Narrative With ‘Sunnyside’ & Chances For Another ‘Harold And Kumar’ Movie” https://deadline.com/2019/09/kal-penn-sunnyside-nbc-immigration-comedy-harold-and-kumar-1202743466/ in Deadline (2019 Sep 26)

Greta Thunberg photo

“Because you grown-ups don’t give a damn about my future, neither do I. My name is Greta, I am in ninth grade, and I am going on strike from school for the climate.”

Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist

Her twitter bio
2020, Rolling Stone Interview: How one Swedish teenager armed with a homemade sign ignited a crusade and became the leader of a movement, Jack Davison, (March 2020)
Source: [https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/greta-thunberg-climate-crisis-cover-965949/

John F. Kennedy photo
Jeremy Jackson (scientist) photo
Joe Biden photo
Cynthia Barnett photo
Fabien Cousteau photo
Céline Cousteau photo
Seneca the Younger photo

“You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate.”

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter XXVIII: On travel as a cure for discontent

Roh Moo-hyun photo
Benjamin Creme photo
Bruce Friedrich photo

“To remake meat is how we solve climate change. Remaking meat is how we prevent the next pandemic. Remaking meat is how we take antibiotics out of the food system.”

Bruce Friedrich (1969) Member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Quoted in Jonathan Kauffman, Meet the Innovator Behind the Plant-Based Meat Movement https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7905892/bruce-friedrich-plant-based-meat/, Eating Well Magazine, 2021

Jason Kenney photo

“We’re not climate deniers, we’re climate tax deniers.”

Jason Kenney (1968) Canadian politician and 18th Premier of Alberta

[https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/graham-thomson-jason-kenney-quick-to-attack-ndps-climate-plan-slow-to-show-his-own On proposals for a carbon tax] (14 March 2018)
2010s

Joanna Haigh photo

“The climate system takes decades to respond to changes in carbon emissions so decisions made now will affect future generations - for better or worse.”

Joanna Haigh (1954) British physicist

"Imperial climate experts respond to IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report" https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/161770/imperial-climate-experts-respond-ipccs-fifth/, Imperial College London (November 3, 2014)

Massin Akandouch photo

“It seems like in this beautiful planet we live in, everything has a place, but our generation is in a grey area where no one can assure us that we’ll be safe in a couple of years. We have been forced to fight for real climate action because we are the ones that will lose the most.”

Massin Akandouch (2001) Amazigh activist

April 30, 2020. Interview for UNILAD article. https://www.unilad.co.uk/featured/air-pollution-might-have-dropped-but-climate-change-is-still-ravaging-our-planet/

Zoran Milanović photo

“We, as a small country and a small economy, contribute little or nothing to climate change and global warming.”

Zoran Milanović (1966) Croatian politician

"Croatian President Elect Zoran Milanović Gives First TV Interview" in Total Croatia News https://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/40884-croatian-president-milanovic (17 January 2020)

James Howard Kunstler photo
Joe Biden photo

“[W]hen people talk about climate, I think jobs. Within our climate response lies an extraordinary engine of job creation and economic opportunity ready to be fired up.”

Joe Biden (1942) 47th Vice President of the United States (in office from 2009 to 2017)

2021, April 2021
Source: 22 April 2021 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/04/22/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-virtual-leaders-summit-on-climate-opening-session/

Greta Thunberg photo

“You can shove your climate crisis up your ass.”

Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist

Source: 2021, Response to COP26 (November 2021)

Greta Thunberg photo

“If you want to truly cover the climate crisis, you must also report on the fundamental issues of time, holistic thinking and justice.”

Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist

Source: 2021, An Open Letter to the Global Media by Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate (October 2021)

“In recent decades the effects of environmental change on insect populations has been the focus of my research. It is widely recognised that invasive alien species, climate change and habitat destruction are all major players in the declines of many insects. Ladybirds are no exception.”

Helen Roy (1969) British ecologist and entomologist

Source: Ladybirds: an interview with Helen Roy, Ecological Entomologist at the BRC https://www.nhbs.com/blog/ladybirds-helen-roy (14 May 2013)

Joe Biden photo

“When I talk to the American people about climate change, I tell them it’s about jobs. It’s about workers and the communities that will revitalize themselves around new industries and opportunities.”

Joe Biden (1942) 47th Vice President of the United States (in office from 2009 to 2017)

2021, November 2021, US President's Statement on Day 2 of the 2021 UN Climate Conference

Joe Biden photo

“Climate change is already... costing our nations trillions of dollars and we know that none of us can escape the worse that’s yet to come if we fail to seize this moment.”

Joe Biden (1942) 47th Vice President of the United States (in office from 2009 to 2017)

2021, November 2021, US President's Statement on Day 2 of the 2021 UN Climate Conference

Carola Rackete photo
Miguel Ángel Alba Díaz photo

“Work for the construction of a more just society, where there are job opportunities for all and fair wages, to avoid the temptation to get easy money. You have to raise your voice: we must not get used to living in a climate of violence, this leads to indifference.”

Miguel Ángel Alba Díaz (1951) Mexican Roman Catholic bishop

Source: Corrupt policemen and climate of mistrust, the Bishop of La Paz denounces the silence of the authorities http://fides.org/en/news/36508-AMERICA_MEXICO_Corrupt_policemen_and_climate_of_mistrust_the_Bishop_of_La_Paz_denounces_the_silence_of_the_authorities (9 October 2014)

Chris Hedges photo
Qin Gang photo

“Climate change is a common challenge to mankind, and all countries need to work together to address it.”

Qin Gang (1966) politician

Source: "The Global Nature of Science, Technology and Innovation: An interview with Ambassador Qin Gang, China's Ambassador to the U.S." in Science & Diplomacy https://www.sciencediplomacy.org/conversation/2021/global-nature-science-technology-and-innovation-interview-ambassador-qin-gang (17 December 2021)

James Howard Kunstler photo
Kamala Harris photo
Joe Biden photo
David King (chemist) photo

“Climate change is not the biggest challenge of our time, it's the biggest challenge of all time.”

David King (chemist) (1939) British academic and scientific adviser

https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/blog-post/2342417/sir-david-king-climate-change-is-not-the-biggest-challenge-of-our-time-its-the-biggest-challenge-of-all-time (2014)

Octavia E. Butler photo
Nguyễn Tấn Dũng photo

“Environmental protection is both the objective and the basic content of sustainable development. Nowadays, climate change, environmental pollution, energy security, water security... have become global problems, but no one country can deal with them alone.”

Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (1949) Prime Minister of Vietnam

"Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng’s speech at the 4th National Conference on Environment" http://tapchimoitruong.vn/english-edition-i-2015-39/Prime-Minister-Nguy%E1%BB%85n-T%E1%BA%A5n-D%C5%A9ng%E2%80%99s-speech-at-the-4th-National-Conference-on-Environment-18093 (30 October 2015)