--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Venus is very much like Earth in size and…" description: "\"“Venus is very much like Earth in size and composition, but its surface temperature is about 460° C (860 F), hotter than your oven when it’s set to “br..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/bill-nye-1613_carbon-dioxide_venus-is-very-much-like-earth-in-size-an_1252299.png" --- # Venus is very much like Earth in size and composition, but… ![“Venus is very much like Earth in size and composition, but its surface temperature is about 460° C (860 F), hotter than your oven when it’s set to “broil.” The difference between the temperatures of Earth and Venus is not because Venus is slightly closer to the Sun. No, Venus is hot primarily…” quote by Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/bill-nye-1613_carbon-dioxide_venus-is-very-much-like-earth-in-size-an_1252299.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/bill-nye-1613_carbon-dioxide_venus-is-very-much-like-earth-in-size-an_1252299.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/bill-nye-1613_carbon-dioxide_venus-is-very-much-like-earth-in-size-an_1252299.png) > ““Venus is very much like Earth in size and composition, but its surface temperature is about 460° C (860 F), hotter than your oven when it’s set to “broil.” The difference between the temperatures of Earth and Venus is not because Venus is slightly closer to the Sun. No, Venus is hot primarily because its atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that keeps the Sun’s heat trapped in the planet’s atmosphere. Venus is the extreme case of climate change: There is no way life, as we know it, could survive at those beyond-broiling temperatures. It would take a big change in Earth’s geology and chemistry for it to become exactly like Venus. But humans are pouring carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere right now at an alarming rate, shoving our climate in that high-carbon direction, which is a terrifying prospect. We do not want to become even a little like Venus. We”” [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Venus’s extreme heat, caused by a CO₂‑rich atmosphere, illustrates the danger of runaway greenhouse effects on Earth. **In simple terms:** Venus shows how CO₂ can make a planet uninhabitable. Key Takeaway Reduce carbon emissions to avoid a Venus‑like future. Themes climate environment science urgency Mood alarm determination Type educational motivational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - renewable energy projects - education - personal carbon tracking Key Concepts greenhouse effect planetary warming CO₂ sustainability Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to lower your carbon footprint? - How can societies shift toward sustainable energy? A Different Perspective Economic and political resistance can slow climate action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carbon dioxide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon-dioxide/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [“Venus is kept that way by a thick, dense atmosphere that’s full of carbon dioxide. It’s the greenhouse effect gone wild—runaway, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/venus-is-kept-that-way-by-a-thick-dense-atmosphere-that-s-full-of/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [And Venus must be hot if the history of the solar system is not the history of no change for billions of years. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-velikovsky/and-venus-must-be-hot-if-the-history-of-the-solar-system-is-not-the/) [Immanuel Velikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-velikovsky/) > [I think it is a sad reflection on our civilization that while we can and do measure the temperature in the atmosphere of Venus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kurti/i-think-it-is-a-sad-reflection-on-our-civilization-that-while-we-can/) Nicholas Kurti > [The atmosphere of Venus consists of ammonia, sulfur, and nitric oxide. Man must have lived there once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-brie/the-atmosphere-of-venus-consists-of-ammonia-sulfur-and-nitric-oxide/) Andre Brie > [“His last name was Morris, but I called him Mars, because it’s like he was from another planet, like Venus. He was a cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/his-last-name-was-morris-but-i-called-him-mars-because-it-s-like-he/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The universe is hilarious! Like, Venus is 900 degrees. I could tell you it melts lead. But that's not as fun as saying, 'You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-universe-is-hilarious-like-venus-is-900-degrees-i-could-tell-you/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I get a lot a brain... I'm a genius, More rings than Saturn but I'm hot like Venus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-dawg/i-get-a-lot-a-brain-i-m-a-genius-more-rings-than-saturn-but-i-m-hot/) J-Dawg > [“An new idea is rarely born like Venus attended by graces. More commonly it's modeled of baling wire and acne. More commonly it wheezes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/an-new-idea-is-rarely-born-like-venus-attended-by-graces-more/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [The discipline, nonetheless, is exacting: everything that can be observed should be observed, even if it is only recalled as the bland background from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barry-sharpless/the-discipline-nonetheless-is-exacting-everything-that-can-be/) Karl Barry Sharpless > [Burning carbon-based substances like oil, gas, and especially coal, produces billions of tons of extra carbon dioxide each year. Methane gas from cows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/burning-carbon-based-substances-like-oil-gas-and-especially-coal/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“Regardless of where they strike, large asteroids would boil seas, fill the air with dust and acidic compounds, and perhaps induce carbon dioxide to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/regardless-of-where-they-strike-large-asteroids-would-boil-seas-fill/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [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/) > [We have to slow down the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from coal burning, oil and eventually natural gas... And the best ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-have-to-slow-down-the-emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-and-methane-from/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Breathing is give(carbon dioxide) and take(oxygen), such is life, find balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-williams/breathing-is-give-carbon-dioxide-and-take-oxygen-such-is-life-find/) Marcel Williams > [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/) ## More by Bill Nye > [That's what makes a human a human, if we store information outside our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/that-s-what-makes-a-human-a-human-if-we-store-information-outside-our/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [To try to really land a spacecraft really on another world is really difficult, and if we lose that ability, it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/to-try-to-really-land-a-spacecraft-really-on-another-world-is-really/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Humor is everywhere in that there's irony in just about anything a human does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/humor-is-everywhere-in-that-there-s-irony-in-just-about-anything-a/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [There's nothing I believe in more strongly than getting young people interested in science and engineering, for a better tomorrow, for all humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/there-s-nothing-i-believe-in-more-strongly-than-getting-young-people/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Tax dollars intended for science education must not be used to teach creationism as any sort of real explanation of nature, because any observation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/tax-dollars-intended-for-science-education-must-not-be-used-to-teach/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [The most serious problem facing humankind is climate change. All of these people breathing and burning our atmosphere has led to an extraordinarily dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-most-serious-problem-facing-humankind-is-climate-change-all-of/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [If you just take a single human and put him or her in the forest he or she might not do very well without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/if-you-just-take-a-single-human-and-put-him-or-her-in-the-forest-he/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“Over billions of years, the planets exchange quite a bit of material. This is not speculation; this is fact. Planetary scientists have found pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/over-billions-of-years-the-planets-exchange-quite-a-bit-of-material/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [From an evolutionary standpoint you can't just wipe everything out and start over, and I don't think you can do it in the school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/from-an-evolutionary-standpoint-you-can-t-just-wipe-everything-out/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“People who should (or do) know better keep confusing weather with climate. Weather is what happens day to day in one place. Climate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/people-who-should-or-do-know-better-keep-confusing-weather-with/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [The more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-more-you-find-out-about-the-world-the-more-opportunities-there/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Millennial voters are very concerned about climate change and will vote for candidates who are planning to address it. But the systems that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/millennial-voters-are-very-concerned-about-climate-change-and-will/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [By the way, most of the light that comes from the sun is green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/by-the-way-most-of-the-light-that-comes-from-the-sun-is-green/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“As of this writing, the Opportunity rover is still roving. It was designed to run ninety Martian days—just over three months—but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/as-of-this-writing-the-opportunity-rover-is-still-roving-it-was/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“radioactive Rubidium-87, containing 37 protons (and 50 neutrons), can change or decay to strontium, which has 38 protons. These two elements can be thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/radioactive-rubidium-87-containing-37-protons-and-50-neutrons-can/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) [Explore all 220 Bill Nye quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) ## More Carbon dioxide quotes > [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/) > [Breathing is give(carbon dioxide) and take(oxygen), such is life, find balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-williams/breathing-is-give-carbon-dioxide-and-take-oxygen-such-is-life-find/) Marcel Williams > [We have to slow down the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from coal burning, oil and eventually natural gas... And the best ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-have-to-slow-down-the-emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-and-methane-from/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [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/) > [As we pump greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, making the seawater acidic and hostile for shellfish and corals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gardiner/as-we-pump-greenhouse-gases-into-our-atmosphere-the-ocean-absorbs/) [Barry Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gardiner/) > [ \[The doctrine of air\] I was led into in consequence of inhabiting a house adjoining to a public brewery, where I at first amused… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/the-doctrine-of-air-i-was-led-into-in-consequence-of-inhabiting-a/) [Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/) > [“The discovery of an interaction among the four hemes made it obvious that they must be touching, but in science what is obvious is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-discovery-of-an-interaction-among-the-four-hemes-made-it-obvious/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The instrument Keeling built, the gas chromatograph, works by passing infrared (IR) light through a sample of air and measuring the amount of IR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/the-instrument-keeling-built-the-gas-chromatograph-works-by-passing/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [If food was no longer obliged to make intercontinental journeys, but stayed part of a system in which it can be consumed over short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-petrini/if-food-was-no-longer-obliged-to-make-intercontinental-journeys-but/) [Carlo Petrini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-petrini/) > [I know that nuclear is better than fossil fuels when it comes to carbon dioxide, but nuclear energy is by no means clean. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-know-that-nuclear-is-better-than-fossil-fuels-when-it-comes-to/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [Centuries-old habitats such as coral gardens are destroyed in an instant by bottom trawls, pulverized by weighted nets into barren plains. And global carbon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-danson/centuries-old-habitats-such-as-coral-gardens-are-destroyed-in-an/) [Ted Danson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-danson/) > [Now, we put out a lot of carbon dioxide every year, over 26 billion tons. For each American, it's about 20 tons. For people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/now-we-put-out-a-lot-of-carbon-dioxide-every-year-over-26-billion/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [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/) > [Carbon dioxide pollution is transforming the chemistry of the ocean, rapidly making the water more acidic. In decades, rising ocean acidity may challenge life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/carbon-dioxide-pollution-is-transforming-the-chemistry-of-the-ocean/) [Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/) > [It’s time to move the debate past the dogmatic view that carbon dioxide is evil and toward a world view that accepts the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bryce/it-s-time-to-move-the-debate-past-the-dogmatic-view-that-carbon/) [Robert Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bryce/) [Browse all 263 Carbon dioxide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon-dioxide/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Venus is very much like Earth in size and composition, but its surface temperature is about 460° C (860 F), hotter than your oven when it’s set to “broil.” The difference between the temperatures of Earth and Venus is not because Venus is slightly closer to the Sun. No, Venus is hot primarily because its atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that keeps the Sun’s heat trapped in the planet’s atmosphere. Venus is the extreme case of climate change: There is no way life, as we know it, could survive at those beyond-broiling temperatures. It would take a big change in Earth’s geology and chemistry for it to become exactly like Venus. But humans are pouring carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere right now at an alarming rate, shoving our climate in that high-carbon direction, which is a terrifying prospect. We do not want to become even a little like Venus. 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