--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ice in the West Antarctic and over…" description: "\"Ice in the West Antarctic and over Greenland, i.e., ice that's over a rock at the moment, that will raise the level of the sea as it slides into the oc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg" --- # Ice in the West Antarctic and over Greenland, i.e., ice… ![“Ice in the West Antarctic and over Greenland, i.e., ice that's over a rock at the moment, that will raise the level of the sea as it slides into the ocean, putting at risk everyone and everything that lives on the coasts, and that includes an enormous percentage of the world's people.” quote by Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg) > “Ice in the West Antarctic and over Greenland, i.e., ice that's over a rock at the moment, that will raise the level of the sea as it slides into the ocean, putting at risk everyone and everything that lives on the coasts, and that includes an enormous percentage of the world's people.” [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Melting polar ice will raise sea levels, threatening coastal populations worldwide. **In simple terms:** Ice melt endangers coasts. Key Takeaway Act now to mitigate climate change. Themes environment climate change risk Mood urgent concerned Type scientific activist When to use this quote - coastal planning - renewable energy adoption - public awareness campaigns Key Concepts geology policy social impact Questions to Reflect On - What policies can reduce ice melt? - How can individuals contribute? A Different Perspective Political action can be slow and contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Greenland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greenland/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Percentages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percentages/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [ \[A\]s previous studies have concluded, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are probably thickening rather than melting. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myron-ebell/a-s-previous-studies-have-concluded-the-antarctic-and-greenland-ice/) Myron Ebell > [Like there's actually a need for Greenland. You can get ice at 7-Eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kluger/like-there-s-actually-a-need-for-greenland-you-can-get-ice-at-7-eleven/) [Steve Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kluger/) > [A cumulative change of less than 2°C by the end of this century will do no net harm. It will actually do net good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/a-cumulative-change-of-less-than-2-c-by-the-end-of-this-century-will/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [I have seen the sea lashed into fury and tossed into spray, and its grandeur moves the soul of the dullest man; but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-seen-the-sea-lashed-into-fury-and-tossed-into-spray-and-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Global temperatures have been irregularly declining for at least 3,000 years based on Greenland ice core data similarly to what has occurred near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-carlin/global-temperatures-have-been-irregularly-declining-for-at-least-3/) [Alan Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-carlin/) > [ Permafrost in the soil \[is melting\], in the boreal and arctic areas in the world, and, probably even more alarming in the last six… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/permafrost-in-the-soil-is-melting-in-the-boreal-and-arctic-areas-in/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [If we slide into one of those rare moments of military honesty, we realize that the technical demands of modern warfare are so complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-k-gann/if-we-slide-into-one-of-those-rare-moments-of-military-honesty-we/) [Ernest K. Gann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-k-gann/) > [ To me, it's more important to take the 60-70% of people who really understand that there's a problem \[of climate change\] and get some… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/to-me-it-s-more-important-to-take-the-60-70-of-people-who-really/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We've lost half the summer sea ice in the Arctic. We've wiped out an enormous percentage of the world's coral reefs. We see huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-ve-lost-half-the-summer-sea-ice-in-the-arctic-we-ve-wiped-out-an/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [On the top of these mile thick slabs of ice the water is percolating quickly to the base and greasing the skids, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/on-the-top-of-these-mile-thick-slabs-of-ice-the-water-is-percolating/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [For me, it depends only on the script, the part I'm doing, and the people around me. It could be in Greenland or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-koch/for-me-it-depends-only-on-the-script-the-part-i-m-doing-and-the/) [Sebastian Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-koch/) > [“By December an elastic skin of ice reached out hundreds of miles into the sea, rolling with every wave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-chancellor/by-december-an-elastic-skin-of-ice-reached-out-hundreds-of-miles-into/) Will Chancellor > [No country has left the E.U. since Greenland in 1985 and no one believes that delivering what the people voted for will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priti-patel/no-country-has-left-the-e-u-since-greenland-in-1985-and-no-one/) [Priti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priti-patel/) > [I was the toast of two continents: Greenland and Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-was-the-toast-of-two-continents-greenland-and-australia/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [I do believe in the Bible as the final word of God. And I do believe that God said the Earth would not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shimkus/i-do-believe-in-the-bible-as-the-final-word-of-god-and-i-do-believe/) [John Shimkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shimkus/) ## More by Bill McKibben > [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Whenever anyone challenges anything, the powers that be try to paint them as extremists or radicals or whatever. And I think that's actually nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/whenever-anyone-challenges-anything-the-powers-that-be-try-to-paint/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [What makes us different? We're the creature that can decide not to do something that we are capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/what-makes-us-different-we-re-the-creature-that-can-decide-not-to-do/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“The snow was coming down so hard. It looked like the flakes were hurrying to get out of the sky so the next ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-snow-was-coming-down-so-hard-it-looked-like-the-flakes-were/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/most-of-the-men-and-women-who-vote-in-congress-each-year-to-continue/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“I’ve sat behind a microphone and listened for decades as Americans learned to stop talking with each other and start shouting instead. No discussions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-ve-sat-behind-a-microphone-and-listened-for-decades-as-americans/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We're putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the atmosphere can absorb. And everybody told us when we started, coz we knew nothing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-re-putting-more-carbon-into-the-atmosphere-than-the-atmosphere-can/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everything-that-the-administration-has-done-has-been-counterproductive/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We use the web to help people organize in the flesh, and then we take the images of those events and put them back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-use-the-web-to-help-people-organize-in-the-flesh-and-then-we-take/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [everyone knows, at some level, that the sharp line between "good weather" and "bad weather" is a fiction, that we need rain as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everyone-knows-at-some-level-that-the-sharp-line-between-good-weather/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The thing about global warming is that you can address it on a great number of levels - in fact you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-thing-about-global-warming-is-that-you-can-address-it-on-a-great/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) [Explore all 299 Bill McKibben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## More Climate quotes > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [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/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [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/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) [Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ice in the West Antarctic and over Greenland, i.e., ice that's over a rock at the moment, that will raise the level of the sea as it slides into the ocean, putting at risk everyone and everything that lives on the coasts, and that includes an enormous percentage of the world's people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill McKibben" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-greenland-i-e-ice-that-s-over-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Climate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-greenland-i-e-ice-that-s-over-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/bill-mckibben-1057_coast_ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-green_2158721.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ice in the West Antarctic and over Greenland, i.e., ice that's over a rock at the moment, that will raise…” — Bill McKibben", "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": "Bill McKibben", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ice in the West Antarctic and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-greenland-i-e-ice-that-s-over-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/ice-in-the-west-antarctic-and-over-greenland-i-e-ice-that-s-over-a/#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 } } ] } ```