Behave Quote by Gwynne Dyer
![“The military profession, especially is the long-established great powers, is deeply pessimistic about the likelihood that people and countries will behave well under stress. Professional officers are trained to think in terms of emergent threats, and this [climate change] is as big a threat as you…” quote by Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/363/gwynne-dyer-29209_behave_the-military-profession-especially-is-th_143358.jpg)
“The military profession, especially is the long-established great powers, is deeply pessimistic about the likelihood that people and countries will behave well under stress. Professional officers are trained to think in terms of emergent threats, and this [climate change] is as big a threat as you are going to find. Never mind what the pundits are telling the public about the perils of climate change; what are the military strategists telling their governments. This will tell us a great deal about the probable shape of the future, although it may not tell any anything that we want to hear.”
About This Quote
Military leaders view climate change as a major, emergent threat, often more seriously than public pundits.
In simple terms: They treat climate change as a serious security risk.
Key Takeaway
Take climate change seriously in strategic planning.
Themes
security
climate change
military
risk assessment
policy
future
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
analysis
warning
When to use this quote
- defense briefings
- government policy
- risk modeling
- public discourse
Key Concepts
strategic foresight
threat analysis
global stability
Questions to Reflect On
- How can civilian expertise complement military assessments?
- What are the risks of under‑communicating climate threats?
A Different Perspective
Military focus may overlook civilian perspectives and solutions.
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![“The scientists are really scared. Their [global warming] observations over the past two or three years suggest that everything is happening a lot faster than their climate models predicted.” quote by Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/177/gwynne-dyer-29209_climate_the-scientists-are-really-scared-their-g_717337.jpg)
![“But we are almost certainly going to miss our [global warming] deadline. We cannot get the 10 lost years back, and by the time a new global agreement to replace the Kyoto accord is negotiated and put into effect, there will probably not be enough time left to stop the warming short of the point…” quote by Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e1e/gwynne-dyer-29209_accord_but-we-are-almost-certainly-going-to-mis_807382.jpg)
![“Never did anyone ever stay longer than ten years because the resistance grows fiercer as your presence grows longer [in Afghanistan]. I don't think we are going to be any exception. What made us exempt from history?” quote by Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6e1/gwynne-dyer-29209_afghanistan_never-did-anyone-ever-stay-longer-than-t_1571027.jpg)
