--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact that we have been able to…" description: "\"The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of how vulnerable we are - because when we destr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg" --- # The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon… ![“The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of how vulnerable we are - because when we destroy our environments, we destroy our food and energy supplies. In short, we destroy ourselves.” quote by Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg) > “The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of how vulnerable we are - because when we destroy our environments, we destroy our food and energy supplies. In short, we destroy ourselves.” [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. Human activity disrupts the carbon cycle, threatening food, energy, and ultimately our own survival. **In simple terms:** Destroying nature harms humanity. Key Takeaway Protect ecosystems to safeguard humanity. Themes environment climate sustainability survival Mood urgent concerned Type activist informative When to use this quote - policy making - agricultural planning - energy production Key Concepts ecology industrial impact systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What actions can individuals take? - How can industries reduce carbon footprints? A Different Perspective Solutions require global cooperation, not just awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Carbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon/) [Carbon cycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon-cycle/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Cycles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cycles/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environments Destroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environments-destroy-3432267/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Industrial revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industrial-revolution/) [Our environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-environment/) [Perturb Carbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perturb-carbon-3432266/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Supplies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supplies/) [Vulnerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulnerable/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [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/) > [My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral sources of energy, and changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/my-first-goal-would-be-to-reduce-the-perturbation-in-the-carbon-cycle/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [The first thing to recognize is how fortunate Ireland is to be an island off the west coast of Europe, and therefore helped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/the-first-thing-to-recognize-is-how-fortunate-ireland-is-to-be-an/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [As we work to expand our supplies of energy, we should also recognize that we must balance those efforts with our concern to preserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/as-we-work-to-expand-our-supplies-of-energy-we-should-also-recognize/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [The oxygen cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, the water cycle - all of these are linked to the existence of life in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-oxygen-cycle-the-nitrogen-cycle-the-carbon-cycle-the-water-cycle/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We have decisively changed the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the rate of extinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-nixon/we-have-decisively-changed-the-carbon-cycle-the-nitrogen-cycle-and/) [Rob Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-nixon/) > [Just as human activity is upsetting Earth's carbon cycle, our actions are altering the water cycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/just-as-human-activity-is-upsetting-earth-s-carbon-cycle-our-actions/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [The essential fact which emerges ... is that the three smallest and most active reservoirs ( of carbon in the global carbon cycle), the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-essential-fact-which-emerges-is-that-the-three-smallest-and-most/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“By planting rye I am creating carbon sinks in my backyard, expanding my role in the carbon cycle, launching my own backyard campaign to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-seidl/by-planting-rye-i-am-creating-carbon-sinks-in-my-backyard-expanding/) [Amy Seidl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-seidl/) > [Unless we decide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within just a few years from now, our destinies will already be chosen and our path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/unless-we-decide-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions-within-just-a-few/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [The world beyond 450 ppm atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, the world that crosses carbon cycle tipping points that quickly take us to 1000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/the-world-beyond-450-ppm-atmospheric-concentrations-of-carbon-dioxide/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Grief is an element. It has its own cycle like the carbon cycle, the nitrogen. It never diminishes not ever. It passes in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/grief-is-an-element-it-has-its-own-cycle-like-the-carbon-cycle-the/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [We cannot hope to either understand or to manage the carbon in the atmosphere unless we understand and manage the trees and the soil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/we-cannot-hope-to-either-understand-or-to-manage-the-carbon-in-the/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## 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 Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of how vulnerable we are - because when we destroy our environments, we destroy our food and energy supplies. In short, we destroy ourselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annalee Newitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-perturb-the-carbon-cycle-with-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-perturb-the-carbon-cycle-with-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/annalee-newitz-8659_able_the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-pertu_2798543.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of…” — 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": "The fact that we have been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-perturb-the-carbon-cycle-with-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-perturb-the-carbon-cycle-with-our/#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 } } ] } ```