Words of wisdom: the climate crisis in quotes
Ecological values:
"God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools."
John Muir, environmentalist (1838-1914)
"The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself."
Franklin D Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, 1937
"In the end, the question is not ‘How do we use nature to serve our interests?’ It’s ‘How can we use humans to serve nature’s interest?’"
William McDonough, US architect and environmentalist
"A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity."
Alexander Smith, Scottish poet, 1863
"We must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization."
Al Gore, former US Vice President
"If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed."
Chinese Proverb
"It was not until we saw the picture of the earth from the moon, that we realized how small and how helpless this planet is; something that we must hold in our arms and care for."
Margaret Mead, US cultural anthropologist (1901-1978)
"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children."
John James Audubon, French-American naturalist (1785-1851)
"I have come to terms with the future. From this day onward I will walk easy on the earth. Plant trees. Kill no living things. Live in harmony with all creatures. I will restore the earth where I am. Use no more of its resources than I need. And listen, listen to what it is telling me."
M J Slim Hooey, poet
"On past occasions, there have been thousands of years, even millions, for the corrective workings of the biosphere to adapt and adjust to new stresses. This time, there are just a few decades, far too short a period for Gaia to work its restorative course, unless it is done with the symbiotic support of humankind."
Norman Myers , The Gaia Atlas of Planet Management
"If we are to balance and direct our remarkable technological muscle power, we need to regain some ancient virtues: the humility to acknowledge how much we have yet to learn, the respect that will allow us to protect and restore nature, and the love that can lift our eyes to distant horizons, far beyond the next election, pay cheque or stock dividend. Above all we need to reclaim our faith in ourselves as creatures of the Earth, living in harmony with all other forms of life."
David Suzuki, Canadian environmental activist
"The earth provides for every man's need, but not for every man's greed."
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian spiritual leader (1869-1948)
"Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle."
Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
"There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew."
Marshall McLuhan, Canadian philosopher (1911-1980)
"The environment is much more than a policy position to me; it is a profoundly moral obligation. We only have one Earth. And if we do not keep it healthy and safe, every other gift we leave our children will be meaningless."
Al Gore, former US Vice President
"Modern man no longer regards Nature as in any sense divine and feels perfectly free to behave toward her as an overweening conqueror and tyrant."
Aldous Huxley, author (1894-1963)
"We are wise because we follow nature as the best of guides, and obey her as a goddess."
Cicero, Roman philosopher, 45 BC
