--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way major change in…" description: "\"The only way major change in environmental policy is going to happen, the only way, is if there is a very strong, very active popular movement that dem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg" --- # The only way major change in environmental policy is going… ![“The only way major change in environmental policy is going to happen, the only way, is if there is a very strong, very active popular movement that demands it and such a movement would be unparalleled because it would be a popular movement that says, "Raise our taxes so that we change our behavior."” quote by Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg) > “The only way major change in environmental policy is going to happen, the only way, is if there is a very strong, very active popular movement that demands it and such a movement would be unparalleled because it would be a popular movement that says, "Raise our taxes so that we change our behavior."” [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Significant environmental policy shifts require a powerful, active public movement willing to demand and fund behavioral change through taxes. **In simple terms:** Big policy change needs strong public demand and tax support. Key Takeaway Mobilize public demand for tax‑based climate action. Themes environment policy public action taxes behavior change Mood determined urgent hopeful Type call to action political When to use this quote - grassroots campaigns - tax reform debates - community organizing - public referenda Key Concepts collective action political economy environmental ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we build a movement that supports higher taxes for climate? - What incentives make tax‑based change acceptable? A Different Perspective Public fatigue may limit willingness to increase taxes for change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) ## Related quotes > [The nation demands a movement which has written upon its banner the internal and external national freedom that it will act as if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-von-papen/the-nation-demands-a-movement-which-has-written-upon-its-banner-the/) [Franz von Papen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-von-papen/) > [For those of us who believe in it, there has to be a movement that says, "We still believe in trade. We still believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/for-those-of-us-who-believe-in-it-there-has-to-be-a-movement-that/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [We need a movement that says in a highly competitive global economy all of our kids who have the ability, the qualifications and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-need-a-movement-that-says-in-a-highly-competitive-global-economy/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [A lot of people say, 'I don't want to unite with a movement that says that we should defund the police nationwide.' To unite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/a-lot-of-people-say-i-don-t-want-to-unite-with-a-movement-that-says/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [I don't claim to know a lot about Mexico, but I did talk to quite a number of left Mexican intelectuals, and they all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-claim-to-know-a-lot-about-mexico-but-i-did-talk-to-quite-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The truth is that most people lack the intellectual ability and courage to resist a popular movement, however pernicious and ill-considered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-truth-is-that-most-people-lack-the-intellectual-ability-and/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [If we stand for change, we can spark a popular movement with power, influence, magic and genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-we-stand-for-change-we-can-spark-a-popular-movement-with-power/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Sinn Fein has demonstrated the ability to play a leadership role as part of a popular movement towards peace, equality and justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-adams/sinn-fein-has-demonstrated-the-ability-to-play-a-leadership-role-as/) [Gerry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-adams/) > [“there is a "floating bitterness" (as I've seen it described) which quickly becomes attached to prominent figures and institutions who for one reason or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-floating-bitterness-as-i-ve-seen-it-described-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Citizens and consumers are demanding that climate change and environmental issues be taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-kocher/citizens-and-consumers-are-demanding-that-climate-change-and/) [Isabelle Kocher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-kocher/) > [Climate change is not an environmental issue, but much more to do with security and economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-porritt/climate-change-is-not-an-environmental-issue-but-much-more-to-do-with/) [Jonathon Porritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-porritt/) > [For decades, I thought that scientific truth, solid economic case studies, and common sense were enough to bring about change on the environmental front.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leonard/for-decades-i-thought-that-scientific-truth-solid-economic-case/) [Annie Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leonard/) > [I think people who speak and write about climate change and environmental degradation need to convey how interesting and important this topic is, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/i-think-people-who-speak-and-write-about-climate-change-and/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Climate change is not an environmental problem. It is a civilizational problem. Climate change is not just another issue. If it is not addressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/climate-change-is-not-an-environmental-problem-it-is-a-civilizational/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [It's not enough simply to wear the badge of corporate responsibility. Business must accept that real change is the only response to climate change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-porritt/it-s-not-enough-simply-to-wear-the-badge-of-corporate-responsibility/) [Jonathon Porritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-porritt/) ## More by Dale Jamieson > [People with long memories and a vivid sense of the past have an immediate understanding of politicians like Donald Trump. They are not surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/people-with-long-memories-and-a-vivid-sense-of-the-past-have-an/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [On my reading of history people who want to bring us the best are usually the people we ought to be afraid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/on-my-reading-of-history-people-who-want-to-bring-us-the-best-are/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [We know the "great men" and a handful of heavily cited papers in our specialization. When there is a historical frame around a paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/we-know-the-great-men-and-a-handful-of-heavily-cited-papers-in-our/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [The very essence of civilized culture is that we deliberately institute, in advance of the happening of various contingencies and emergencies of life, devices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-very-essence-of-civilized-culture-is-that-we-deliberately/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [I see a lot of individual action when it comes to environmental questions really as a form of politics as a way of communicating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/i-see-a-lot-of-individual-action-when-it-comes-to-environmental/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Moral revolutions are typically seen retrospectively. Prospectively, the revolutionaries tend to look like crazy people, and sometimes they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/moral-revolutions-are-typically-seen-retrospectively-prospectively/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [In this era of globalization we are witnessing struggles within individual states about what their identity and interests consist in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/in-this-era-of-globalization-we-are-witnessing-struggles-within/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [You can't imagine anything like nature as we know it without predators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/you-can-t-imagine-anything-like-nature-as-we-know-it-without-predators/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Climate change involves fundamental choices about how we want to live and what kind of world we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/climate-change-involves-fundamental-choices-about-how-we-want-to-live/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Acts are right in virtue of the goodness of their consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/acts-are-right-in-virtue-of-the-goodness-of-their-consequences/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Our traditional systems of decision-making are just not up to preventing changes in fundamental earth systems that are driven by a constant barrage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/our-traditional-systems-of-decision-making-are-just-not-up-to/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [One of the real dangers of our time is people's indifference to history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/one-of-the-real-dangers-of-our-time-is-people-s-indifference-to/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [We're not good at noticing slow, steady changes in our environments, our senses are not very acute compared to those of many animals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/we-re-not-good-at-noticing-slow-steady-changes-in-our-environments/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Philosophers are smart, analytical, and skeptical. For these reasons they are relatively unbiased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/philosophers-are-smart-analytical-and-skeptical-for-these-reasons/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [The millennium development goals are important, both morally and economically, because much of the world's population maybe is as much as a third of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-millennium-development-goals-are-important-both-morally-and/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) [Explore all 116 Dale Jamieson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only way major change in environmental policy is going to happen, the only way, is if there is a very strong, very active popular movement that demands it and such a movement would be unparalleled because it would be a popular movement that says, \"Raise our taxes so that we change our behavior.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dale Jamieson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-only-way-major-change-in-environmental-policy-is-going-to-happen/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behavior" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-only-way-major-change-in-environmental-policy-is-going-to-happen/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/dale-jamieson-4075_behavior_the-only-way-major-change-in-environment_1050833.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only way major change in environmental policy is going to happen, the only way, is if there is a very…” — Dale Jamieson", "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": "Dale Jamieson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only way major change in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-only-way-major-change-in-environmental-policy-is-going-to-happen/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-only-way-major-change-in-environmental-policy-is-going-to-happen/#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 } } ] } ```