--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we invest in researching and…" description: "\"If we invest in researching and developing energy technology, we'll do some real good in the long run, rather than just making ourselves feel good toda..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/bjorn-lomborg-8937_21st-century_if-we-invest-in-researching-and-developi_2173755.jpg" --- # If we invest in researching and developing energy… ![“If we invest in researching and developing energy technology, we'll do some real good in the long run, rather than just making ourselves feel good today. But climate change is not the only challenge of the 21st century, and for many other global problems we have low-cost, durable solutions.” quote by Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/bjorn-lomborg-8937_21st-century_if-we-invest-in-researching-and-developi_2173755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/bjorn-lomborg-8937_21st-century_if-we-invest-in-researching-and-developi_2173755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/bjorn-lomborg-8937_21st-century_if-we-invest-in-researching-and-developi_2173755.jpg) > “If we invest in researching and developing energy technology, we'll do some real good in the long run, rather than just making ourselves feel good today. But climate change is not the only challenge of the 21st century, and for many other global problems we have low-cost, durable solutions.” [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Investing in energy tech yields long‑term benefits, whereas short‑term comfort is insufficient; many global issues also have affordable, durable solutions. **In simple terms:** Long‑term tech investment beats fleeting comfort. Key Takeaway Prioritize sustainable, cost‑effective innovations. Themes climate energy policy global challenges Mood urgent hopeful Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - government funding - private R&D - NGO projects - urban planning Key Concepts economics engineering public health Questions to Reflect On - What sustainable solutions are currently under‑funded? - How can societies shift focus from short‑term comfort to long‑term benefit? A Different Perspective Immediate gratification can distract from lasting impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [21st century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/21st-century/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Developing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing/) [Developing Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing-energy-4665442/) [Durable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/durable/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-technology-1613086/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-good/) [Global](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global/) [Global Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-problems-1402514/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Invest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invest/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-run/) [Low-cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-cost/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ourselves/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rather/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Researching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/researching/) [Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [I came here to help make America more competitive and prosperous by developing an energy policy that increases conservation, promotes cleaner technologies, encourages development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-walden/i-came-here-to-help-make-america-more-competitive-and-prosperous-by/) [Greg Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-walden/) > [Paradigm shifts aren't always obvious when you're in the middle of one. Danny Kennedy makes a compelling case for why solar power is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brune/paradigm-shifts-aren-t-always-obvious-when-you-re-in-the-middle-of/) [Michael Brune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brune/) > [I am a nuclear engineer. I'm working on advanced energy technology. I have a new type of the engine that converts heat into electricity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonnie-johnson/i-am-a-nuclear-engineer-i-m-working-on-advanced-energy-technology-i/) [Lonnie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonnie-johnson/) > [We should be moving vigorously towards renewable energy. The technology of which is right here right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/we-should-be-moving-vigorously-towards-renewable-energy-the/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, arguably President Obama's best Cabinet appointment, has been leading a quiet revolution in clean-energy technology. Innovation is transforming this industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/energy-secretary-ernest-moniz-arguably-president-obama-s-best-cabinet/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [In addition to hydropower, Oregon and the Northwest have pioneering companies leading the way in environmentally friendly energy technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-walden/in-addition-to-hydropower-oregon-and-the-northwest-have-pioneering/) [Greg Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-walden/) > [It may be a hundred-year battle to turn around our industries and finally get everyone living on sustainable energy with technology that can keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/it-may-be-a-hundred-year-battle-to-turn-around-our-industries-and/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [Huge advances in clean energy technology are happening all the time. Solar and wind are booming. New ways to generate energy from our windows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hayhoe/huge-advances-in-clean-energy-technology-are-happening-all-the-time/) [Katharine Hayhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hayhoe/) > [With millions of family wage manufacturing jobs lost since 2001, we need an energy bill that takes bold action to tap into American ingenuity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-inslee/with-millions-of-family-wage-manufacturing-jobs-lost-since-2001-we/) [Jay Inslee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-inslee/) > [For folks in Washington to believe that they are smart enough to pick the next energy technology is, in my judgment, the height of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pompeo/for-folks-in-washington-to-believe-that-they-are-smart-enough-to-pick/) [Mike Pompeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pompeo/) > [It wasn't until the Apple Macintosh that people understood what true hardware-software integration was about. It took one company to line it up: low-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fadell/it-wasn-t-until-the-apple-macintosh-that-people-understood-what-true/) [Tony Fadell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fadell/) > [I want to bring clean water to people who do not have it. What I'm trying to do now is think of ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kamkwamba/i-want-to-bring-clean-water-to-people-who-do-not-have-it-what-i-m/) [William Kamkwamba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kamkwamba/) > [I do not believe it is appropriate or in the best interest of Kentucky to recommend policies that would move Kentucky from low-cost energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/i-do-not-believe-it-is-appropriate-or-in-the-best-interest-of/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Being an American doesn't mean that you're guaranteed a high wage. You have to be productive, and we have to create a very low-cost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-porter/being-an-american-doesn-t-mean-that-you-re-guaranteed-a-high-wage-you/) [Michael Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-porter/) > [Every time the U.S. government makes a low-cost loan to someone, it's investing in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/every-time-the-u-s-government-makes-a-low-cost-loan-to-someone-it-s/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) ## More by Bjorn Lomborg > [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/) > [For the longest time in Denmark I didn't want to say what I was politically. I thought it was irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/for-the-longest-time-in-denmark-i-didn-t-want-to-say-what-i-was/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [It seems incontrovertible to me that there is a global warming effect and that it is going to be serious, probably not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/it-seems-incontrovertible-to-me-that-there-is-a-global-warming-effect/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [I'm an old member of Greenpeace. I worried intensely, as I think most of my friends did, that the world was coming apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/i-m-an-old-member-of-greenpeace-i-worried-intensely-as-i-think-most/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [Even if I was a bad right wing guy, to the extent of whether my arguments are right or wrong, they're right or wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/even-if-i-was-a-bad-right-wing-guy-to-the-extent-of-whether-my/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [Lots of people say we should fly less, heat less, and put on a sweater. But it's not going to happen. People are happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/lots-of-people-say-we-should-fly-less-heat-less-and-put-on-a-sweater/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [Wishful thinking is not sound public policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/wishful-thinking-is-not-sound-public-policy/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“One of the great ironies of climate change activism today is that many of the movement’s most vocal proponents are also horrified by global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/one-of-the-great-ironies-of-climate-change-activism-today-is-that/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“Global temperature and GDP are both rising, and each affects the other… We have to find the right balance between the two factors. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/global-temperature-and-gdp-are-both-rising-and-each-affects-the-other/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [The obvious issue is providing clean drinking water and sanitation to every single human being on earth at the cost of little more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/the-obvious-issue-is-providing-clean-drinking-water-and-sanitation-to/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [My suggestion is that we should first work to ensure the Third World has clean drinking water and sanitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/my-suggestion-is-that-we-should-first-work-to-ensure-the-third-world/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“We should not confuse the rising costs of flooding with flooding itself (or indeed with climate change). It is entirely caused by more houses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/we-should-not-confuse-the-rising-costs-of-flooding-with-flooding/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [Money spent on carbon cuts is money we can't use for effective investments in food aid, micronutrients, HIV/AIDS prevention, health and education infrastructure, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/money-spent-on-carbon-cuts-is-money-we-can-t-use-for-effective/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“The negative impacts (of biofuels) were much greater than most had anticipated...the amount of crops needed to fill an SUV’s fuel tank with biofuel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/the-negative-impacts-of-biofuels-were-much-greater-than-most-had/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [But this is an occupational hazard of being a scientist. You say this is the best information I have and then you realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/but-this-is-an-occupational-hazard-of-being-a-scientist-you-say-this/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) [Explore all 76 Bjorn Lomborg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) [Comic Strip Mama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/comic-strip-mama/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) [Bella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-james/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) [Browse all 771 21st century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/21st-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we invest in researching and developing energy technology, we'll do some real good in the long run, rather than just making ourselves feel good today. 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