--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It would be rash to conclude that, on…" description: "\"It would be rash to conclude that, on balance, the environment of the globe as a whole is either deteriorating or improving, or that the survival of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg" --- # It would be rash to conclude that, on balance, the… ![“It would be rash to conclude that, on balance, the environment of the globe as a whole is either deteriorating or improving, or that the survival of the societies we know depends upon filling a simple set of prescriptions. It is all too complex and dynamic, whether it involves managing greenhouse…” quote by Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg) > “It would be rash to conclude that, on balance, the environment of the globe as a whole is either deteriorating or improving, or that the survival of the societies we know depends upon filling a simple set of prescriptions. It is all too complex and dynamic, whether it involves managing greenhouse gases or Nile snails... The future condition of the globe's interlocking natural and social systems depends more on human behavior than on the further investigation of natural processes, however desirable that may be.” [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The planet’s environmental state is neither simply worsening nor improving; it’s a complex, dynamic system driven more by human actions than by scientific study alone. **In simple terms:** Environment is complex and human‑driven. Key Takeaway Focus on changing behavior, not just research. Themes environment complexity human impact policy Mood thoughtful concerned Type analytical persuasive When to use this quote - climate negotiations - urban planning - resource management Key Concepts systems thinking sustainability behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What behaviors most affect environmental outcomes? - How can policy reflect system complexity? A Different Perspective Addressing complexity requires interdisciplinary cooperation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Greenhouse gases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greenhouse-gases/) [Human behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-behavior/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nile/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-systems/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Sustainability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustainability/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know how you can live on the planet and not care about the environment. It's our globe, we share it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stana-katic/i-don-t-know-how-you-can-live-on-the-planet-and-not-care-about-the/) [Stana Katic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stana-katic/) > [All natural processes are long processes and they last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/all-natural-processes-are-long-processes-and-they-last/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [ We do not know how much of the environmental change is due to human activities and how much \[is due\] to long-term natural processes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/we-do-not-know-how-much-of-the-environmental-change-is-due-to-human/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [I think the whole human-induced greenhouse gas thing is a red herring... . I see climate change as due to the ocean circulation pattern.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-gray/i-think-the-whole-human-induced-greenhouse-gas-thing-is-a-red-herring/) William M. Gray > [Every description of natural processes must be based on ideas which have been introduced and defined by the classical theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/every-description-of-natural-processes-must-be-based-on-ideas-which/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [“It was perhaps inevitable that a reverence for all things ‘scientific’ should be accompanied by some scorn for ‘natural’ processes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/it-was-perhaps-inevitable-that-a-reverence-for-all-things-scientific/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [We have reached a point where the value we do add to our economy is now being outweighed by the value we are removing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-have-reached-a-point-where-the-value-we-do-add-to-our-economy-is/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [I plan to write more songs of my own, especially on behalf of the animals we needlessly raise for food, at their great expense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/i-plan-to-write-more-songs-of-my-own-especially-on-behalf-of-the/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [One mark of a deteriorating society is when people cannot discern between truth and lies. Another is that they don't care and will believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/one-mark-of-a-deteriorating-society-is-when-people-cannot-discern/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [A man's work is in danger of deteriorating when he thinks he has found the one best formula for doing it. If he thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/a-man-s-work-is-in-danger-of-deteriorating-when-he-thinks-he-has/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [In the end, we must restore a balance within ourselves between who we are and what we are doing. Each of us must take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/in-the-end-we-must-restore-a-balance-within-ourselves-between-who-we/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Since Western society is deteriorating, it has become overrun with immorality, and God is going to judge it, and destroy it. And the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/since-western-society-is-deteriorating-it-has-become-overrun-with/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [What is correct action in a deteriorating world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/what-is-correct-action-in-a-deteriorating-world/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [It is a fact that the entire Kentucky River system, which the central part of the state complacently depends upon for its future water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-is-a-fact-that-the-entire-kentucky-river-system-which-the-central/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) ## More by Gilbert F. White > [The gap between the rich and poor is growing among and within most nations. The political and social effects of unequal location of energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/the-gap-between-the-rich-and-poor-is-growing-among-and-within-most/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [Floods are 'acts of God,' but flood losses are largely acts of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/floods-are-acts-of-god-but-flood-losses-are-largely-acts-of-man/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [Both group effort and individual testimony flow from conviction as to the role of people on earth. In stewardship of the common heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/both-group-effort-and-individual-testimony-flow-from-conviction-as-to/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [The issue of world environment has a special kind of urgency... The issue is one of rich peoples and poor peoples, of the growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/the-issue-of-world-environment-has-a-special-kind-of-urgency-the/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [Every intervention of man in the environment around him incurs some risk as to both favorable and unfavorable consequences. Every intervention is taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/every-intervention-of-man-in-the-environment-around-him-incurs-some/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [The good news about fresh water is that, even after accounting for the larger volume of water that is unavailable to people from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/the-good-news-about-fresh-water-is-that-even-after-accounting-for-the/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [One effect of benefit-cost analysis is to give any respectable engineer or economist a means for justifying almost any kind of project the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/one-effect-of-benefit-cost-analysis-is-to-give-any-respectable/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) > [We can be confident that action which is in accord with a few basic beliefs cannot be wrong and can at least testify to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/we-can-be-confident-that-action-which-is-in-accord-with-a-few-basic/) [Gilbert F. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) [Explore all 9 Gilbert F. White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It would be rash to conclude that, on balance, the environment of the globe as a whole is either deteriorating or improving, or that the survival of the societies we know depends upon filling a simple set of prescriptions. It is all too complex and dynamic, whether it involves managing greenhouse gases or Nile snails... The future condition of the globe's interlocking natural and social systems depends more on human behavior than on the further investigation of natural processes, however desirable that may be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert F. White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-balance-the-environment-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-balance-the-environment-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a2/gilbert-f-white-44907_balance_it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-bal_1518574.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It would be rash to conclude that, on balance, the environment of the globe as a whole is either…” — Gilbert F. White", "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": "Gilbert F. White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-f-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It would be rash to conclude...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-balance-the-environment-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-f-white/it-would-be-rash-to-conclude-that-on-balance-the-environment-of-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 } } ] } ```