--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Innovation has helped with problems in…" description: "\"“Innovation has helped with problems in the past, e.g. whale oil use, horse manure in the streets, increasing grain yields. “When we innovate and find ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bjorn-lomborg-8937_climate-change_innovation-has-helped-with-problems-in-t_2934759.jpg" --- # Innovation has helped with problems in the past, e.g… ![“Innovation has helped with problems in the past, e.g. whale oil use, horse manure in the streets, increasing grain yields. “When we innovate and find a cheap, technological solution, we solve major challenges and generate broadly shared benefits. We need to apply that lesson to the problem of…” quote by Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bjorn-lomborg-8937_climate-change_innovation-has-helped-with-problems-in-t_2934759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bjorn-lomborg-8937_climate-change_innovation-has-helped-with-problems-in-t_2934759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bjorn-lomborg-8937_climate-change_innovation-has-helped-with-problems-in-t_2934759.jpg) > ““Innovation has helped with problems in the past, e.g. whale oil use, horse manure in the streets, increasing grain yields. “When we innovate and find a cheap, technological solution, we solve major challenges and generate broadly shared benefits. We need to apply that lesson to the problem of climate change.”” [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. Technological innovation solves past crises; applying this mindset to climate change can yield shared benefits. **In simple terms:** Use tech to tackle climate issues. Key Takeaway Leverage cheap tech for climate solutions. Themes innovation climate change technology shared benefits Mood optimistic analytical Type policy inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - startup incubators - community projects Key Concepts sustainability economics Questions to Reflect On - What cheap tech can reduce emissions? - How to ensure equitable distribution? A Different Perspective Tech alone may not address systemic causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [False-alarm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-alarm/) [Innovate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovate/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Innovation Helped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation-helped-4345166/) [Problem Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-climate-2093722/) [Technological Solution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technological-solution-2322813/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“The problem is not technological,” he said. “And there is no technological solution to it. The problem is human, human nature in general, male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-problem-is-not-technological-he-said-and-there-is-no/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Technology is usually there to let some process go on hidden in the background. For us on 'MythBusters,' we're always trying to make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/technology-is-usually-there-to-let-some-process-go-on-hidden-in-the/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [“We must rein in temperature increases and help ensure that the most vulnerable can adapt. But today’s popular climate change policies of rolling out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/we-must-rein-in-temperature-increases-and-help-ensure-that-the-most/) [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/) > [“What matters most is that we make sure that the most vulnerable, worst-off people living in shantytowns are lifted out of poverty. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/what-matters-most-is-that-we-make-sure-that-the-most-vulnerable-worst/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“We should be innovating tomorrow’s technologies rather than erecting today’s inefficient turbines and solar panels. We should explore fusion, fission, water splitting, ...algae grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/we-should-be-innovating-tomorrow-s-technologies-rather-than-erecting/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“The Paris Agreement will have no perceptible impact on malaria because it will lead to such small temperature changes; in fact, it is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/the-paris-agreement-will-have-no-perceptible-impact-on-malaria/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“Climate policies often make life WORSE specifically for the poor...Choosing climate policies over growth policies doesn’t just do nothing. It means more people die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/climate-policies-often-make-life-worse-specifically-for-the-poor/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“Biomass, which basically is a fancy-sounding name for wood, is one of the old, reliable renewables that can produce energy when it is needed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/biomass-which-basically-is-a-fancy-sounding-name-for-wood-is-one-of/) [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/) > [“A carbon tax forces you to take into account the climate disbenefits that your purchase is responsible for, so you can weigh these against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/a-carbon-tax-forces-you-to-take-into-account-the-climate-disbenefits/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“By making people richer, especially in the world’s poorest countries, freer trade would also lead to societies far more resilient to climate shocks, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/by-making-people-richer-especially-in-the-world-s-poorest-countries/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [“When a company (e.g. Enron) is calling for more environmental regulation, we need to look very carefully at what they might stand to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/when-a-company-e-g-enron-is-calling-for-more-environmental-regulation/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) ## 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 Climate change 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/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I do not underestimate the difficulty of the challenge that global climate change presents to us. It will take a significant effort and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-pena/i-do-not-underestimate-the-difficulty-of-the-challenge-that-global/) [Federico Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-pena/) > [First, climate change is the greatest long-term threat faced by humanity. It could cause more human and financial suffering than the two world wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/first-climate-change-is-the-greatest-long-term-threat-faced-by/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) > [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/) [Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/) > [George H.W. Bush said we will lead on climate change, and we'll lead from the top. That was 30 years ago. And now Republicans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bullock/george-h-w-bush-said-we-will-lead-on-climate-change-and-we-ll-lead/) [Steve Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bullock/) > [Climate change is not an excuse to give the federal government ever more power over private property and state resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/climate-change-is-not-an-excuse-to-give-the-federal-government-ever/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [21st-century foreign policy is going to be built on countries that can tackle transnational challenges together. Climate change and public health are the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/21st-century-foreign-policy-is-going-to-be-built-on-countries-that/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [You'd be forgiven for thinking that climate change means we'll have to sacrifice our creature comforts. But it doesn't have to be that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/you-d-be-forgiven-for-thinking-that-climate-change-means-we-ll-have/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [Wind and solar power, energy efficient buildings, cars that go farther on a tank of gas, and other solutions can fight climate change. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-beinecke/wind-and-solar-power-energy-efficient-buildings-cars-that-go-farther/) [Frances Beinecke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-beinecke/) [Browse all 2,684 Climate change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Innovation has helped with problems in the past, e.g. whale oil use, horse manure in the streets, increasing grain yields. “When we innovate and find a cheap, technological solution, we solve major challenges and generate broadly shared benefits. 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