Climate Quote by Charles Krauthammer
“Where there is a confluence of interests among nations, as, for example the swine flu or polio, you can get well functioning international institutions like the World Health Organization. And you can act. Climate change is different, because the science remains hypothetical and the potential costs staggering.”
About This Quote
Source Opinion Column, The Washington Post, 2008
International cooperation works for clear threats, but climate change lacks consensus and urgency.
In simple terms: Clear crises unite nations; climate change remains uncertain.
Key Takeaway
Build consensus on climate science.
Themes
global health
climate change
policy
Mood
concerned
analytical
Type
opinion
analytical
When to use this quote
- pandemic response
- environmental legislation
- public health campaigns
Key Concepts
international relations
science communication
risk assessment
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we make climate science feel as urgent as a pandemic?
- What incentives drive nations to cooperate?
A Different Perspective
Political inertia hinders action.
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![“The peoples are not awake...[There are dangers] which will render a world organization impossible. I foresee the renewal of...the secret bargaining behind closed doors. Peoples will be as before, the sheep sent to the slaughterhouses or to the meadows as it pleases the shepherds. International…” quote by Henri La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/db7/henri-la-fontaine-74178_awake_the-peoples-are-not-awake-there-are-dang_1377439.jpg)
