---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Given the scale of the ecological crisis…"
description: "\"Given the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing this is the appropriate scale of expansion. Occupying the streets to bring about change as our a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg"
---

#  Given the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing…

![“Given the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing this is the appropriate scale of expansion. Occupying the streets to bring about change as our ancestors have done before us. Only this kind of large-scale economic disruption can rapidly bring the government to the table to discuss our…” quote by Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg)

> “Given the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing this is the appropriate scale of expansion. Occupying the streets to bring about change as our ancestors have done before us. Only this kind of large-scale economic disruption can rapidly bring the government to the table to discuss our demands. We are prepared to risk it all for our futures.”

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

## About This Quote

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

Large‑scale economic disruption is needed to force governments to address the ecological crisis urgently.

**In simple terms:** Mass protest can compel change.

Key Takeaway

Organize coordinated, peaceful civil disobedience.

Themes

environment activism politics

Mood

urgent defiant

Type

activist motivational

When to use this quote

- protests
- occupations
- policy lobbying

Key Concepts

systems change collective action climate justice

Questions to Reflect On

- What tactics balance urgency with broad support?
- How to protect vulnerable communities during protests?

A Different Perspective

Disruption may alienate potential allies if not inclusive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ancestors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Ecological crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecological-crisis/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/)

## Related quotes

> [Amid all the job losses of the Great Recession, there is one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/amid-all-the-job-losses-of-the-great-recession-there-is-one-category/)

[Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/)

> [Climate change threatens serious economic disruption to us all with serious implications to global stability and the impact it will have on the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/climate-change-threatens-serious-economic-disruption-to-us-all-with/)

[Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/)

> [So many of us who've been thinking about the ecological crisis have had this horrible creeping feeling, like nothing was getting done and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/so-many-of-us-who-ve-been-thinking-about-the-ecological-crisis-have/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [For years I have engaged with this ecological crisis on an intellectual level, the mounting evidence, the science... but now I have engaged with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/for-years-i-have-engaged-with-this-ecological-crisis-on-an/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [Oh, what a crisis you would cry facing this. Could dem ah come with dem kit jus to take every bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/capleton/oh-what-a-crisis-you-would-cry-facing-this-could-dem-ah-come-with-dem/)

[Capleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/capleton/)

> [As Donald Trump and his cabinet now demonstrate, the skills encouraged in men by their biologies and the tools that boys master in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anohni/as-donald-trump-and-his-cabinet-now-demonstrate-the-skills-encouraged/)

[Anohni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anohni/)

> [If for no other reason than the energy crisis now facing this country, the federal government should be eager to become partners with us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-byrne/if-for-no-other-reason-than-the-energy-crisis-now-facing-this-country/)

[Jane Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-byrne/)

> [“IF A PROBLEM PERSISTS for generations, it is no longer a crisis. It’s a condition. The identity crisis facing our faith, our families, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/if-a-problem-persists-for-generations-it-is-no-longer-a-crisis-it-s-a/)

[Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/)

> [The ecological crisis is doing what no other crisis in history has ever done - challenging us to a realization of a new humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/the-ecological-crisis-is-doing-what-no-other-crisis-in-history-has/)

[Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/)

> [A case can certainly be made that Christians bear a major responsibility for our ecological crisis. But the fault is not their biblical but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-sire/a-case-can-certainly-be-made-that-christians-bear-a-major/)

[James W. Sire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-sire/)

> [The abuse of the Earth is the ecological crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/the-abuse-of-the-earth-is-the-ecological-crisis/)

[Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/)

> [Life and families and babies are all joyous gifts. But if we do not begin to truly account for our numbers, we will surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/life-and-families-and-babies-are-all-joyous-gifts-but-if-we-do-not/)

[Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/)

> [I firmly believe that contemporary spiritual use of entheogenic drugs is one of humankind's brightest hopes for overcoming the ecological crisis from which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ott/i-firmly-believe-that-contemporary-spiritual-use-of-entheogenic-drugs/)

Jonathan Ott

> [Ecology's implications for capitalism are too momentous for the capitalist to contemplate. The plutocrats are more wedded to their wealth than to the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/ecology-s-implications-for-capitalism-are-too-momentous-for-the/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

## More by Gail Bradbrook

> [When you say 'no' and you get on the streets and you do an act of civil disobedience, it changes your psychology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/when-you-say-no-and-you-get-on-the-streets-and-you-do-an-act-of-civil/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [Whilst I'm all for psychedelic science - I think it's fantastic - I don't think we necessarily have time to wait for the science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/whilst-i-m-all-for-psychedelic-science-i-think-it-s-fantastic-i-don-t/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [Human extinction in our children's lifetime, it should be your top news item every single day, what's happening, you should be holding politicians to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/human-extinction-in-our-children-s-lifetime-it-should-be-your-top/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [We do need a vision that's uplifting, even whilst being realistic. And there's a lot in the world that already speaks to that, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/we-do-need-a-vision-that-s-uplifting-even-whilst-being-realistic-and/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [Everyone is into yoni steaming. I've done it once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/everyone-is-into-yoni-steaming-i-ve-done-it-once/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [It is not a campaign. It is a rebellion. We are in active rebellion against our government. The social contract is broken, the governments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/it-is-not-a-campaign-it-is-a-rebellion-we-are-in-active-rebellion/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [I just like swearing and being cheeky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/i-just-like-swearing-and-being-cheeky/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [I want the planet protected for my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/i-want-the-planet-protected-for-my-children/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [I'm horrified to have been alerted to anti-Semitism showing up in a Facebook group I'm associated with. As a busy mum I don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/i-m-horrified-to-have-been-alerted-to-anti-semitism-showing-up-in-a/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [It sounds like an extremist thing to say, but what do people think is going to happen to human beings when there's not enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/it-sounds-like-an-extremist-thing-to-say-but-what-do-people-think-is/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [What I would say is that in its first iteration, Extinction Rebellion is really about democracy, by calling in for these new democratic forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/what-i-would-say-is-that-in-its-first-iteration-extinction-rebellion/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [I am no longer a scientist as I stopped in 2000. Science was quite a testing place to be as a working-class woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/i-am-no-longer-a-scientist-as-i-stopped-in-2000-science-was-quite-a/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [In the past when I was on protests, it was always people shouting out of the cars, 'get a job, get a bath, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/in-the-past-when-i-was-on-protests-it-was-always-people-shouting-out/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [I do have a rebellious spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/i-do-have-a-rebellious-spirit/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

> [My dad was a miner at South Kirkby colliery. He went on strike but he didn't go to the picket line, he just put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/my-dad-was-a-miner-at-south-kirkby-colliery-he-went-on-strike-but-he/)

[Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

[Explore all 64 Gail Bradbrook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/)

## More Ancestors quotes

> [The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who... looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-wright/the-desire-to-fly-is-an-idea-handed-down-to-us-by-our-ancestors-who/)

[Wilbur Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-wright/)

> [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [We pay for the mistakes of our ancestors, and it seems only fair that they should leave us the money to pay with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/we-pay-for-the-mistakes-of-our-ancestors-and-it-seems-only-fair-that/)

[Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/)

> [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [It has been said that a man of genius should select his ancestors with great care - and yet there does not seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/it-has-been-said-that-a-man-of-genius-should-select-his-ancestors/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Most of us do more than subsist. From the vantage point of our ancestors, we live lives of almost unimaginable ease. Here again, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/most-of-us-do-more-than-subsist-from-the-vantage-point-of-our/)

[Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/)

> [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-look-deeply-into-the-palm-of-your-hand-you-will-see-your/)

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

> [“You are the fairy tale told by your ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/you-are-the-fairy-tale-told-by-your-ancestors/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [...I write to keep in contact with our ancestors and to spread truth to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sanchez/i-write-to-keep-in-contact-with-our-ancestors-and-to-spread-truth-to/)

[Sonia Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sanchez/)

> [“Each of us is the product of history. Our lives today are evidence that our ancestors survived unbelievable odds stretching back to prehistory. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wheldon/each-of-us-is-the-product-of-history-our-lives-today-are-evidence/)

Laura Wheldon

> [Do we have to give Mr Sarkozy a history lesson? Yes, there are Gauls among our ancestors. But there are also Romans, Normans, Celts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najat-vallaud-belkacem/do-we-have-to-give-mr-sarkozy-a-history-lesson-yes-there-are-gauls/)

[Najat Vallaud-Belkacem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najat-vallaud-belkacem/)

> [As a woman of color, I always pay homage to my ancestors and elders - in the industry in particular - who have paved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/as-a-woman-of-color-i-always-pay-homage-to-my-ancestors-and-elders-in/)

[Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/)

> [“Each of us, along with our ancestors, inhabits the same cosmos. When we tell stories, we enter the stream of human consciousness; we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/each-of-us-along-with-our-ancestors-inhabits-the-same-cosmos-when-we/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

[Browse all 443 Ancestors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Given the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing this is the appropriate scale of expansion. Occupying the streets to bring about change as our ancestors have done before us. Only this kind of large-scale economic disruption can rapidly bring the government to the table to discuss our demands. We are prepared to risk it all for our futures.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gail Bradbrook"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis-we-are-facing-this-is-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ancestors"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis-we-are-facing-this-is-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/gail-bradbrook-10563_ancestors_given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis_3038533.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Given the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing this is the appropriate scale of expansion. Occupying…” — Gail Bradbrook",
                "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": "Gail Bradbrook",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Given the scale of the ecological...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis-we-are-facing-this-is-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/given-the-scale-of-the-ecological-crisis-we-are-facing-this-is-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
