--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first goal would be to reduce the…" description: "\"My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral sources of energy, and changing our agricul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg" --- # My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the… ![“My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral sources of energy, and changing our agricultural practices to be less disruptive and polluting. I'm not talking about a policy here so much as changing the way our infrastructure works…” quote by Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg) > “My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral sources of energy, and changing our agricultural practices to be less disruptive and polluting. I'm not talking about a policy here so much as changing the way our infrastructure works. That's why I'm so fascinated with changing the way we build cities, because they are the most developed forms of physical infrastructure for human habitation.” [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes redesigning energy and agriculture to lower carbon impact, focusing on infrastructure and city building rather than policy alone. **In simple terms:** Reduce carbon impact by redesigning energy, agriculture, and city infrastructure. Key Takeaway Prioritize carbon‑neutral energy and sustainable city design. Themes sustainability urban planning energy agriculture infrastructure Mood optimistic determined concerned Type practical inspirational visionary When to use this quote - city planning - renewable energy projects - agricultural reform - infrastructure upgrades Key Concepts carbon neutrality systems thinking resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can cities retrofit existing structures for carbon neutrality? - What incentives can accelerate sustainable infrastructure? A Different Perspective Implementation faces economic and political barriers, and existing built environments limit rapid change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carbon cycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon-cycle/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Cycles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cycles/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Infrastructure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infrastructure/) [Not talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-talking/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) ## Related quotes > [Part of what I wanted to do in my book was point out that we have almost reached the point where we can prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/part-of-what-i-wanted-to-do-in-my-book-was-point-out-that-we-have/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [It's only been in the past two generations that we truly understood the impact our civilization has had on the natural world. To our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/it-s-only-been-in-the-past-two-generations-that-we-truly-understood/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Some time ago we discovered the carbon cycle - a long-term set of chemical reactions that govern climates based on how much carbon is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/some-time-ago-we-discovered-the-carbon-cycle-a-long-term-set-of/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of how vulnerable we are -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-perturb-the-carbon-cycle-with-our/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [The energy is changing here dramatically. That's part of the upheaval of the drama. The dimensional shifts are accelerating. The magnetic energy at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mccormick-day/the-energy-is-changing-here-dramatically-that-s-part-of-the-upheaval/) [Christine McCormick Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mccormick-day/) > [“Nothing is static, Energetic frequencies are changing all the time. We, and everything in our world, are made of energy and as such, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-seiler/nothing-is-static-energetic-frequencies-are-changing-all-the-time-we/) [Elaine Seiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-seiler/) > [“And it would take all my energy 'changing things' as you put it, with none left over to paint -- which is the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/and-it-would-take-all-my-energy-changing-things-as-you-put-it-with/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“Instead of spending time complaining about your life, use your energy on changing your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-coron/instead-of-spending-time-complaining-about-your-life-use-your-energy/) [Jeanette Coron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-coron/) > [I think we need to remember...that a lot of energy was put into changing things to get us to the point where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-think-we-need-to-remember-that-a-lot-of-energy-was-put-into/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [We should be working towards a carbon-neutral Britain by 2050. We should be working towards the elimination of petrol-driven motor cars, we should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menzies-campbell/we-should-be-working-towards-a-carbon-neutral-britain-by-2050-we/) [Menzies Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menzies-campbell/) > [I support an all-of-the-above approach attacking climate change - everything from moving America towards being carbon-neutral, moving our country towards clean energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-support-an-all-of-the-above-approach-attacking-climate-change/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [C'mon kids! Wake up and smell the CO2! Take over your administration building, occupy your university president's office, or storm in on the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/c-mon-kids-wake-up-and-smell-the-co2-take-over-your-administration/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Carbon neutrality is going to be so standardized that you will look at anything that is not carbon neutral and go, "where the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiana-figueres/carbon-neutrality-is-going-to-be-so-standardized-that-you-will-look/) [Christiana Figueres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiana-figueres/) > [Becoming carbon neutral is only the beginning. The climate problem will not be solved by one company reducing its emissions to zero, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/becoming-carbon-neutral-is-only-the-beginning-the-climate-problem/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Ultimately, I do want us to be a transformative government. I want, when we've left, for people to say we're not just clean-green anymore:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinda-ardern/ultimately-i-do-want-us-to-be-a-transformative-government-i-want-when/) [Jacinda Ardern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinda-ardern/) ## More by Annalee Newitz > [“She wasn’t sure which motivation made better fuel for innovation: naïve but ethical beliefs, or the need to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/she-wasn-t-sure-which-motivation-made-better-fuel-for-innovation-na/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Humans are a great survivor species but our survival will be pretty grim if all of the plants and animals we depend on die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/humans-are-a-great-survivor-species-but-our-survival-will-be-pretty/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Amphibians are dying out like crazy, and frogs and salamanders may be largely extinct by the end of the twenty-first century. Imagine an animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/amphibians-are-dying-out-like-crazy-and-frogs-and-salamanders-may-be/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“It didn’t just boost your concentration. It made you enjoy work. You couldn’t wait to get back to the keyboard, the breadboard, the gesture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/it-didn-t-just-boost-your-concentration-it-made-you-enjoy-work-you/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Survivor species tend to have huge populations, so they can afford to lose many individuals and still survive as a species. They also tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/survivor-species-tend-to-have-huge-populations-so-they-can-afford-to/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [In fact, the early demographer Thomas Malthus believes that the only way the human population would ever check itself was by running headlong into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/in-fact-the-early-demographer-thomas-malthus-believes-that-the-only/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“ For all the robots who question their programming. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/for-all-the-robots-who-question-their-programming/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Obviously it depends on how you define a word like "evolution," because of course we have been evolving - both biologically and culturally -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/obviously-it-depends-on-how-you-define-a-word-like-evolution-because/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [I try to be realistic and pragmatic. I have a lot of hope for humanity as a species, but obviously as individuals we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/i-try-to-be-realistic-and-pragmatic-i-have-a-lot-of-hope-for-humanity/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [The fact is that humans have been shaping the genetics of what they eat for thousands of years. Genetic engineering simply speeds up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-is-that-humans-have-been-shaping-the-genetics-of-what-they/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [In terms of fiction, there are a number of writers who are thinking about the future of the environment whose work complements mine. Kim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/in-terms-of-fiction-there-are-a-number-of-writers-who-are-thinking/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“As UC Berkeley economics professor Brad DeLong put it to me: You get famine if the price of food spikes far beyond that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/as-uc-berkeley-economics-professor-brad-delong-put-it-to-me-you-get/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“Plus, it was made by Zaxy, the company behind Smartifex, Brillicent, and other popular work enhancement drugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/plus-it-was-made-by-zaxy-the-company-behind-smartifex-brillicent-and/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [That said, a lot of people buy products with "green" in the brand name, but make no attempt to understand what it would really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/that-said-a-lot-of-people-buy-products-with-green-in-the-brand-name/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“Every master loves to fuck a slave. It is a law of nature, or maybe culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/every-master-loves-to-fuck-a-slave-it-is-a-law-of-nature-or-maybe/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) [Explore all 78 Annalee Newitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) ## More Carbon quotes > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [every being is unique.god neva creates carbon copies,he alys creates originals.he is truly a creator.he neva repeats.but man goes on living in imitation.we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-being-is-unique-god-neva-creates-carbon-copies-he-alys-creates/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The brightest and most valuable diamond started life as just a lump of carbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dilger/the-brightest-and-most-valuable-diamond-started-life-as-just-a-lump/) Peter Dilger > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I love being a carbon molecule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-trussell/i-love-being-a-carbon-molecule/) [Duncan Trussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-trussell/) > [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/) Marc Morano > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [If every country committed to spending 0.05 per cent of GDP on researching non-carbon-emitting energy technologies, that would cost $25 billion a year, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/if-every-country-committed-to-spending-0-05-per-cent-of-gdp-on/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [We're full of electricity, and the walls and floor of a building contain carbon - the same makeup as a video tape - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/we-re-full-of-electricity-and-the-walls-and-floor-of-a-building/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [Whether carbon dioxide is quite the environmental villain that some people make it out to be is not yet proven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/whether-carbon-dioxide-is-quite-the-environmental-villain-that-some/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [“Steven Apfelbaum, a restoration ecologist in Wisconsin, says that every 1 percent increase in soil carbon holds an additional sixty thousand gallons of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/steven-apfelbaum-a-restoration-ecologist-in-wisconsin-says-that-every/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I also think that if you want to put a price on carbon, why not just do it with a simple tax? Why not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-also-think-that-if-you-want-to-put-a-price-on-carbon-why-not-just/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [If you want to make a substantial reduction in your carbon footprint, doing it on your own is virtually impossible, especially if you're driving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-arnold/if-you-want-to-make-a-substantial-reduction-in-your-carbon-footprint/) [Tom Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-arnold/) > [Jesus was not born on December 25th. There's carbon evidence of it. That freaks people out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-skiba/jesus-was-not-born-on-december-25th-there-s-carbon-evidence-of-it/) [Matt Skiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-skiba/) Browse all 812 Carbon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral sources of energy, and changing our agricultural practices to be less disruptive and polluting. I'm not talking about a policy here so much as changing the way our infrastructure works. That's why I'm so fascinated with changing the way we build cities, because they are the most developed forms of physical infrastructure for human habitation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annalee Newitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-perturbation-in-the-carbon-cycle/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Carbon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-perturbation-in-the-carbon-cycle/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/annalee-newitz-8659_carbon_my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-per_1421998.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral…” — Annalee Newitz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Annalee Newitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My first goal would be to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-perturbation-in-the-carbon-cycle/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-perturbation-in-the-carbon-cycle/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```