--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We the human species, are confronting a…" description: "\"We the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency-a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive pote..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/al-gore-609_civilization_we-the-human-species-are-confronting-a-p_2977046.jpg" --- # We the human species, are confronting a planetary… ![“We the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency-a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential...the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising...Indeed, without realizing it, we have begun to wage war on earth itself...” quote by Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/al-gore-609_civilization_we-the-human-species-are-confronting-a-p_2977046.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/al-gore-609_civilization_we-the-human-species-are-confronting-a-p_2977046.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/al-gore-609_civilization_we-the-human-species-are-confronting-a-p_2977046.jpg) > “We the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency-a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential...the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising...Indeed, without realizing it, we have begun to wage war on earth itself...” [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human activity is creating a planetary emergency that threatens civilization, likened to a fever on Earth that is rising. **In simple terms:** Human actions cause a dangerous global crisis. Key Takeaway Take urgent action to protect the planet. Themes environment crisis human impact Mood urgent hopeful Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - education campaigns - technological innovation - community resilience Key Concepts climate change sustainability global health civilization risk Questions to Reflect On - What immediate steps can individuals take? - How can societies shift to sustainable models? A Different Perspective Solutions require global cooperation and systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Confronting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confronting/) [Confronting Planetary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confronting-planetary-4610904/) [Destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth Fever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-fever-4610903/) [Emergencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emergencies/) [Emergency Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emergency-threat-4610905/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Fever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fever/) [Gathering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gathering/) [Human species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-species/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Ominous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ominous/) [Planetary Emergency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planetary-emergency-659839/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Rising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rising/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Our world faces a true planetary emergency. I know the phrase sounds shrill, and I know it's a challenge to the moral imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/our-world-faces-a-true-planetary-emergency-i-know-the-phrase-sounds/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [We have a planetary emergency. We have to find a way to create, in the generation of those alive today, a sense of generational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/we-have-a-planetary-emergency-we-have-to-find-a-way-to-create-in-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The planetary emergency unfolding around us is, first and foremost...a crisis of thought, values, perceptions, ideas and judgments. In other words, it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-orr/the-planetary-emergency-unfolding-around-us-is-first-and-foremost-a/) [David W. Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-orr/) > [For reasons we don't have to get into, climate change has become an incredibly polarized issue in the United States. I think that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/for-reasons-we-don-t-have-to-get-into-climate-change-has-become-an/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [Great griefs exhaust. They discourage us with life. The man into whom they enter feels something taken from him. In youth, their visit is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/great-griefs-exhaust-they-discourage-us-with-life-the-man-into-whom/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“It's my belief that if we do not willingly embrace the challenge of Eden with all our hearts, then we will likely be forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mango-wodzak/it-s-my-belief-that-if-we-do-not-willingly-embrace-the-challenge-of/) [Mango Wodzak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mango-wodzak/) > [Sunday morning may be cheery enough, with its extra cup of coffee and litter of Sunday newspapers, but there is always hanging over it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/sunday-morning-may-be-cheery-enough-with-its-extra-cup-of-coffee-and/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [...and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/and-see-ominous-clouds-of-inferiority-beginning-to-form-in-her-little/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“It was what should have been a bright summer day, but the smoke from the burning world filled the sky, through which the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/it-was-what-should-have-been-a-bright-summer-day-but-the-smoke-from/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [I like to think that I'm not as ominous in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dae-kim/i-like-to-think-that-i-m-not-as-ominous-in-real-life/) [Daniel Dae Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dae-kim/) > [The younger and healthier a woman is and the more her new and glossy body seems destined for eternal freshness, the less useful is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-younger-and-healthier-a-woman-is-and-the-more-her-new-and-glossy/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [When 1:45 came, half the class left, and Danny Hupfer whispered, "If she gives you a cream puff after we leave, I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-d-schmidt/when-1-45-came-half-the-class-left-and-danny-hupfer-whispered-if-she/) [Gary D. Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-d-schmidt/) > [I'm wondering if there's a spell to make lightning flash in the background whenever I make an ominous resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-m-wondering-if-there-s-a-spell-to-make-lightning-flash-in-the/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“He liked murder. Murder and long walks had been two of his favorite things when he was younger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/he-liked-murder-murder-and-long-walks-had-been-two-of-his-favorite/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-is-ominous-is-the-ease-with-which-some-people-go-from-saying/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More by Al Gore > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Mother Nature does not do bailouts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/mother-nature-does-not-do-bailouts/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-climate-crisis-is-not-a-political-issue-it-is-a-moral-and/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I decided to pick the diet that I thought would maximize my chances of long-term survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/i-decided-to-pick-the-diet-that-i-thought-would-maximize-my-chances/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [You know there's an old african proverb that i made up: "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/you-know-there-s-an-old-african-proverb-that-i-made-up-if-you-want-to/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [One tragic example of the loss of forests and then water is found in Ethiopia. The amount of its forested land has decreased from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/one-tragic-example-of-the-loss-of-forests-and-then-water-is-found-in/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The ten hottest years in the atmospheric record, going back only 160 years, have been in the last eleven years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-ten-hottest-years-in-the-atmospheric-record-going-back-only-160/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Hey, you know what, I've gotta go on that 'Letterman' show. That show is so lame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/hey-you-know-what-i-ve-gotta-go-on-that-letterman-show-that-show-is/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [When you talk about President Trump, the cable networks turned over so many hours of prime time to him. Why? Because he was entertaining,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/when-you-talk-about-president-trump-the-cable-networks-turned-over-so/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/iraq-does-pose-a-serious-threat-to-the-stability-of-the-persian-gulf/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There are skeptics who do not come to their view because they have a source of income from carbon polluters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/there-are-skeptics-who-do-not-come-to-their-view-because-they-have-a/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Our civilization is experiencing unprecedented changes across many realms, largely due to the rapid advancement of information technology. The ability to code and understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/our-civilization-is-experiencing-unprecedented-changes-across-many/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There are many who would much prefer that the word 'climate' never be mentioned and that the issue be eliminated from our national conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/there-are-many-who-would-much-prefer-that-the-word-climate-never-be/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [As many know, the Chinese expression for "crisis" consists of two characters side by side. The first is the symbol for "danger," the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-many-know-the-chinese-expression-for-crisis-consists-of-two/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I think George W. Bush has a warm, engaging personality. But, you know, the presidency is more than just a popularity contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/i-think-george-w-bush-has-a-warm-engaging-personality-but-you-know/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) [Explore all 447 Al Gore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency-a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential...the earth has a fever. 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