--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The black line is carbon emissions to…" description: "\"The black line is carbon emissions to date. The red line is the status quo - a projection of where emissions will go if no new substantial policy is pa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/david-roberts-57681_black_the-black-line-is-carbon-emissions-to-da_927306.jpg" --- # The black line is carbon emissions to date. The red line… ![“The black line is carbon emissions to date. The red line is the status quo - a projection of where emissions will go if no new substantial policy is passed to restrain greenhouse gas emissions.” quote by David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/david-roberts-57681_black_the-black-line-is-carbon-emissions-to-da_927306.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/david-roberts-57681_black_the-black-line-is-carbon-emissions-to-da_927306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/david-roberts-57681_black_the-black-line-is-carbon-emissions-to-da_927306.jpg) > “The black line is carbon emissions to date. The red line is the status quo - a projection of where emissions will go if no new substantial policy is passed to restrain greenhouse gas emissions.” [David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The graph shows current emissions versus projected future emissions without new policies. **In simple terms:** Emissions will rise unless policies change. Key Takeaway Advocate stronger climate policies. Themes environment policy future Mood urgent concerned Type informative call‑to‑action When to use this quote - government planning - corporate strategy - personal carbon footprint - activism Key Concepts Climate science economics political will public health energy transition Questions to Reflect On - What policies could most reduce emissions? - How can individuals influence policy? A Different Perspective Policy impact depends on political will and enforcement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carbon emissions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon-emissions/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Emissions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emissions/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Greenhouse gases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greenhouse-gases/) [Projection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projection/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Red lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-lines/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't set a red line, the world set a red line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-didn-t-set-a-red-line-the-world-set-a-red-line/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I think it's too late. I think that there's been too much. This all started with the red line, walking away from it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-think-it-s-too-late-i-think-that-there-s-been-too-much-this-all/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [got a little red line that tells you, boy where the razor's been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/got-a-little-red-line-that-tells-you-boy-where-the-razor-s-been/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [The largest source of greenhouse gases in the coming decades will not be the US, Western Europe and Japan, but the developing economies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/the-largest-source-of-greenhouse-gases-in-the-coming-decades-will-not/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [I'm useless at staring at a piece of white paper. But if you put a piece of white paper with a black line on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/i-m-useless-at-staring-at-a-piece-of-white-paper-but-if-you-put-a/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [“Back then I thought Mother Nature split the good guys from the bad guys with a fat black line. But the thing is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-hubbard/back-then-i-thought-mother-nature-split-the-good-guys-from-the-bad/) Kristen Hubbard > [One more black line will ease that limb away. Mind destroying angel made you judgment sway. Exsanguination left you insane, hard to use an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelspit/one-more-black-line-will-ease-that-limb-away-mind-destroying-angel/) [Angelspit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelspit/) > [It kind of amazes me that putting a black line on my eyelid, can make me feel better about myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strawberry/it-kind-of-amazes-me-that-putting-a-black-line-on-my-eyelid-can-make/) [Strawberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strawberry/) > [It's so hard to express yourself, because swimmers are pretty much paying attention to a black line for hours out of a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/it-s-so-hard-to-express-yourself-because-swimmers-are-pretty-much/) [Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/) > [Without the red line, I think it's going to be a lot more exciting game, and I think you're going to get more scoring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/without-the-red-line-i-think-it-s-going-to-be-a-lot-more-exciting/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [They dashed on towards that thin red line tipped with steel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-russell/they-dashed-on-towards-that-thin-red-line-tipped-with-steel/) William Howard Russell > [“There’s no such thing as an emergency unless I’m losing every penny I have. That’s my only red line, OK? Nothing else fucking qualifies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-gibbs/there-s-no-such-thing-as-an-emergency-unless-i-m-losing-every-penny-i/) [C.C. Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-gibbs/) > [The Finnish way of dealing with Russia, whatever the situation, is that we will be very decisive to show what we don't like, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sauli-niinisto/the-finnish-way-of-dealing-with-russia-whatever-the-situation-is-that/) Sauli Niinisto > [I like to outdo myself and I like to play always on the red line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-dias/i-like-to-outdo-myself-and-i-like-to-play-always-on-the-red-line/) [Ruben Dias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-dias/) > [The red line must be drawn on Iran's nuclear enrichment program because these enrichment facilities are the only nuclear installations that we can definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-red-line-must-be-drawn-on-iran-s-nuclear-enrichment-program/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) ## More by David Roberts > [“If you can't laugh at yourself, then likely other people will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roberts/if-you-can-t-laugh-at-yourself-then-likely-other-people-will/) [David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) > [“A student of Syrian affairs soon becomes used to paradox. A comparatively small country, narrowly chauvinistic and jealous of its national sovereignty, Syria is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roberts/a-student-of-syrian-affairs-soon-becomes-used-to-paradox-a/) [David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) > [When we've finally gotten serious about global warming, when the impacts are really hitting us and we're in a full worldwide scramble to minimize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roberts/when-we-ve-finally-gotten-serious-about-global-warming-when-the/) [David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) > [It's about the climate-change "denial industry", ...we should have war crimes trials for these bastards - some sort of climate Nuremberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roberts/it-s-about-the-climate-change-denial-industry-we-should-have-war/) [David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) > [People say 'Why do you make pots?' Because I'm compelled to - life isn't right without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-roberts/people-say-why-do-you-make-pots-because-i-m-compelled-to-life-isn-t/) [David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) [Explore all 6 David Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-roberts/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. 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