---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We would do well to ask why governments…"
description: "\"We would do well to ask why governments seem to find it so easy to raise the money required to wreck the biosphere, and so difficult to raise the money..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png"
---

#  We would do well to ask why governments seem to find it so…

![“We would do well to ask why governments seem to find it so easy to raise the money required to wreck the biosphere, and so difficult to raise the money required to save it.” quote by George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png)

> “We would do well to ask why governments seem to find it so easy to raise the money required to wreck the biosphere, and so difficult to raise the money required to save it.”

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

## About This Quote

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

It points out the paradox of governments easily funding destructive projects while struggling to fund conservation.

**In simple terms:** Governments fund harm more readily than help.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for balanced funding.

Themes

environment politics economics ethics

Mood

concerned determined

Type

advocacy persuasive

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- activism
- policy reform

Key Concepts

public policy externalities resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- Why prioritize profit over planet?
- How can citizens shift funding priorities?

A Different Perspective

Political interests often override ecological concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Biosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biosphere/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [The question companies have to ask, or governments have to ask is, where do we allow crazy ideas to bubble up? Because if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/the-question-companies-have-to-ask-or-governments-have-to-ask-is/)

[Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/)

> [Do we want to be remembered as the generation that saved the banks and let the biosphere collapse?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/do-we-want-to-be-remembered-as-the-generation-that-saved-the-banks/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Why is it so easy to save the banks - but so hard to save the biosphere?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/why-is-it-so-easy-to-save-the-banks-but-so-hard-to-save-the-biosphere/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [This is suicidal... our home is the biosphere. That's a very thin layer of air, water and land where all life exists. It's fixed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/this-is-suicidal-our-home-is-the-biosphere-that-s-a-very-thin-layer/)

[David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/)

> [Protecting the biosphere should be our highest priority or else we sicken and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/protecting-the-biosphere-should-be-our-highest-priority-or-else-we/)

[David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/)

> [The ability of human beings to be creative depends fundamentally on the health and well-being of our biosphere, the few kilometres of air, water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-patterson/the-ability-of-human-beings-to-be-creative-depends-fundamentally-on/)

[Freeman Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-patterson/)

> [Plants with leaves no more efficient than today's solar cells could out-compete real plants, crowding the biosphere with an inedible foliage. Tough omnivorous bacteria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-eric-drexler/plants-with-leaves-no-more-efficient-than-today-s-solar-cells-could/)

[K. Eric Drexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-eric-drexler/)

> [ “\[Religious belief is\] outmoded and ridiculous. \[Belief in gods was a\] worn out but once useful crutch in mankind's journey towards truth. We consider… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-w-atkins/religious-belief-is-outmoded-and-ridiculous-belief-in-gods-was-a-worn/)

[P.W. Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-w-atkins/)

> [“Nothing is more important to human beings than an ecologically functioning, life sustaining biosphere on the earth. It is the only habitable place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-guth/nothing-is-more-important-to-human-beings-than-an-ecologically/)

Joseph Guth

> [Certainly for me, as an astrobiologist, science fiction has played an important role. One of the quandaries of our field is that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/certainly-for-me-as-an-astrobiologist-science-fiction-has-played-an/)

[David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/)

> [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

> [Using less of the Earth’s resources more efficiently and productively in a circular economy and making the transition from carbon-based fuels to renewable energies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/using-less-of-the-earth-s-resources-more-efficiently-and-productively/)

[Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/)

> [The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-living-environment-is-the-biosphere-the-thin-layer-around-the/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-s-always-been-a-dream-of-mine-of-exploring-the-living-world-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

## More by George Monbiot

> [If we want to prevent both climate and ecological catastrophes, the key task is to minimise the amount of land we use to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/if-we-want-to-prevent-both-climate-and-ecological-catastrophes-the/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [“The wealth creators of neoliberal mythology are some of the most effective wealth destroyers the world has ever seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-wealth-creators-of-neoliberal-mythology-are-some-of-the-most/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [The ideology of consumption is so prevalent that it has become invisible: it is the plastic soup in which we swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-ideology-of-consumption-is-so-prevalent-that-it-has-become/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [I might find myself standing, transfixed, by the roadside, watching a sparrowhawk hunting among the bushes, astonished that other people could ignore it. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/i-might-find-myself-standing-transfixed-by-the-roadside-watching-a/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Economic growth is the aggregate effect of the quest to accumulate capital and extract profit. Capitalism collapses without growth, yet perpetual growth on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/economic-growth-is-the-aggregate-effect-of-the-quest-to-accumulate/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Even when political reporting is not reduced to personality, political photography is. An article might offer depth and complexity, but is illustrated with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/even-when-political-reporting-is-not-reduced-to-personality-political/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Progress is measured by the speed at which we destroy the conditions that sustain life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/progress-is-measured-by-the-speed-at-which-we-destroy-the-conditions/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [We are often told we are materialistic. It seems to me, we are not materialistic enough. We have a disrespect for materials. We use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/we-are-often-told-we-are-materialistic-it-seems-to-me-we-are-not/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [People believe Loose Change because it proposes a closed world: comprehensible, controllable, small. Despite the great evil which runs it, it is more companionable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/people-believe-loose-change-because-it-proposes-a-closed-world/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [David Cameron's government criminalised squatting in empty homes. This too was previously a civil matter. Thousands of homeless people found themselves on the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/david-cameron-s-government-criminalised-squatting-in-empty-homes-this/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [If I could turn back the clock, magically deleting my prostate cancer, the surgery I needed and its complications, would I do so? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/if-i-could-turn-back-the-clock-magically-deleting-my-prostate-cancer/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [The grim truth is that the rich are able to live as they do only because others are poor: there is neither the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-grim-truth-is-that-the-rich-are-able-to-live-as-they-do-only/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Technological change is essential, but to a natural historian it often feels cold and distancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/technological-change-is-essential-but-to-a-natural-historian-it-often/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Yes, the car is still useful - for a few people it's essential. It would make a good servant. But it has become our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/yes-the-car-is-still-useful-for-a-few-people-it-s-essential-it-would/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

[Explore all 151 George Monbiot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

## More Asks quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/)

[Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/)

[Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/)

> [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/)

[Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/)

> [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/)

[Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/)

Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We would do well to ask why governments seem to find it so easy to raise the money required to wreck the biosphere, and so difficult to raise the money required to save it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Monbiot"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments-seem-to-find-it-so-easy-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Asks"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments-seem-to-find-it-so-easy-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/george-monbiot-2762_asks_we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments_2464539.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We would do well to ask why governments seem to find it so easy to raise the money required to wreck the…” — George Monbiot",
                "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": "George Monbiot",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We would do well to ask...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments-seem-to-find-it-so-easy-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/we-would-do-well-to-ask-why-governments-seem-to-find-it-so-easy-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```