---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an issue, climate change was unlucky…"
description: "\"As an issue, climate change was unlucky: when nonspecialists first became aware of it in the 1990s, environmental attitudes had already become tribal p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png"
---

#  As an issue, climate change was unlucky: when…

![“As an issue, climate change was unlucky: when nonspecialists first became aware of it in the 1990s, environmental attitudes had already become tribal political markers.” quote by Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png)

> “As an issue, climate change was unlucky: when nonspecialists first became aware of it in the 1990s, environmental attitudes had already become tribal political markers.”

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote notes that climate change became politicized early, making it a partisan issue before the public fully understood it.

**In simple terms:** Climate change turned into a political marker before widespread understanding.

Key Takeaway

Beware of politicizing scientific issues prematurely.

Themes

environment politics communication public perception science

Mood

concerned urgent

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- education campaigns
- media coverage

Key Concepts

polarization information framing social identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we depoliticize climate discussions?
- What steps improve public scientific literacy?

A Different Perspective

The quote may oversimplify the timeline of climate awareness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Unlucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlucky/)

## Related quotes

> [From the cranberry cancer scare of the 1950s to the Alar-in-apples hysteria of the 1980s, from the "new ice age" of the 1960s to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/from-the-cranberry-cancer-scare-of-the-1950s-to-the-alar-in-apples/)

[Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/)

> [Tackling the issue of climate change presents us with an inflection point in human history - a climate justice revolution that separates development from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/tackling-the-issue-of-climate-change-presents-us-with-an-inflection/)

[Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/)

> [The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-issue-of-climate-change-is-one-that-we-ignore-at-our-own-peril-2/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [For me the most important issue is climate change because it in some ways trumps every other issue. Everything else we care about falls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/for-me-the-most-important-issue-is-climate-change-because-it-in-some/)

[Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/)

> [It is vital that MPs take the issue of climate change seriously and support the students in their activism. They can rest assured that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/it-is-vital-that-mps-take-the-issue-of-climate-change-seriously-and/)

[Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/)

> [The main cause that I have attached my name to and am working diligently in is the issue of climate change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-reuben/the-main-cause-that-i-have-attached-my-name-to-and-am-working/)

[Gloria Reuben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-reuben/)

> [Climate Change is a national security issue. We found that climate instability will lead to instability in geopolitics and impact American military operations around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-r-sullivan/climate-change-is-a-national-security-issue-we-found-that-climate/)

[Gordon R. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-r-sullivan/)

> [I think this issue of climate change is truly important, and that it is a major tragedy how poorly it's been handled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-olson/i-think-this-issue-of-climate-change-is-truly-important-and-that-it/)

[Randy Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-olson/)

> [The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-issue-of-climate-change-is-one-that-we-ignore-at-our-own-peril/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [A narrative of fear surrounds the issue of climate change, and it's being used to completely alter our way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/a-narrative-of-fear-surrounds-the-issue-of-climate-change-and-it-s/)

[Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/)

> [We should be treating, I think, the whole issue of climate change and global warming with a far greater degree of priority than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-charles/we-should-be-treating-i-think-the-whole-issue-of-climate-change-and/)

[Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/)

> [My administration is committed to a leadership role on the issue of climate change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-administration-is-committed-to-a-leadership-role-on-the-issue-of/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [We have an obligation to our men and women in uniform - and to future generations - to do something about the issue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/we-have-an-obligation-to-our-men-and-women-in-uniform-and-to-future/)

[Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/)

> [I believe that the issue of climate change is very complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/i-believe-that-the-issue-of-climate-change-is-very-complicated/)

[Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/)

> [The issue of climate change, it really does bring home the fact that we are on one planet, and that some of the impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/the-issue-of-climate-change-it-really-does-bring-home-the-fact-that/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

## More by Charles C. Mann

> [“A milpa is a field, usually but not always recently cleared, in which farmers plant a dozen crops at once, including maize, avocados, multiple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/a-milpa-is-a-field-usually-but-not-always-recently-cleared-in-which/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“In the classic successional course, each suite of plants replaces its predecessor, until the arrival of the final, “climax” ecosystem, usually tall forest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/in-the-classic-successional-course-each-suite-of-plants-replaces-its/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [In 1491 the Inka ruled the greatest empire on earth. Bigger than Ming Dynasty China, bigger than Ivan the Great’s expanding Russia, bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/in-1491-the-inka-ruled-the-greatest-empire-on-earth-bigger-than-ming/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [The Paris pact was correctly described by its opponents - greens and anti-greens alike - as toothless. But it was also the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/the-paris-pact-was-correctly-described-by-its-opponents-greens-and/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“Drought indeed stressed the system, but the societal disintegration in the south was due not to surpassing inherent ecological limits but the political failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/drought-indeed-stressed-the-system-but-the-societal-disintegration-in/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“The Maya collapsed because they overshot the carrying capacity of their environment. They exhausted their resource base, began to die of starvation and thirst,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/the-maya-collapsed-because-they-overshot-the-carrying-capacity-of/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [Prediction is a mug's game, but taking the side of water polluters has not been a winning political strategy for 50 years. Presidents Reagan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/prediction-is-a-mug-s-game-but-taking-the-side-of-water-polluters-has/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [The queue of activists, interest groups, and ordinary people wringing their hands over what a President Donald Trump might do in office is long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/the-queue-of-activists-interest-groups-and-ordinary-people-wringing/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“The varieties are not like islands, carefully apart,” Perales explained. “They are more like gentle hills in a landscape—you see them, they are clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/the-varieties-are-not-like-islands-carefully-apart-perales-explained/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“export of food from Ireland during the famine: 430,000 tons of grain in 1846 and 1847, the two worst years. “The Almighty indeed sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/export-of-food-from-ireland-during-the-famine-430-000-tons-of-grain/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“all states can be parceled into four types: pluralist, in which the state is seen by its people as having moral legitimacy; populist, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/all-states-can-be-parceled-into-four-types-pluralist-in-which-the/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [The way I think of it, economics and ecology occupy two intellectual silos, isolated from each other. Even when they do take each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/the-way-i-think-of-it-economics-and-ecology-occupy-two-intellectual/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“Before Columbus, Holmberg believed, both the people and the land had no real history. Stated so baldly, this notion-that the indigenous peoples of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/before-columbus-holmberg-believed-both-the-people-and-the-land-had-no/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“More than a hundred sets of casta paintings are known. Many are beautifully crafted. Some were painted by mixed people themselves. Looking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/more-than-a-hundred-sets-of-casta-paintings-are-known-many-are/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [“Anything goes now, apparently,” Fiedel told me. “The lunatics have taken over the asylum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/anything-goes-now-apparently-fiedel-told-me-the-lunatics-have-taken/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

[Explore all 93 Charles C. Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As an issue, climate change was unlucky: when nonspecialists first became aware of it in the 1990s, environmental attitudes had already become tribal political markers.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles C. Mann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-when-nonspecialists-first/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-when-nonspecialists-first/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/charles-c-mann-7228_change_as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-w_2600213.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As an issue, climate change was unlucky: when nonspecialists first became aware of it in the 1990s…” — Charles C. Mann",
                "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": "Charles C. Mann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As an issue, climate change was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-when-nonspecialists-first/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/as-an-issue-climate-change-was-unlucky-when-nonspecialists-first/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```