--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy…" description: "\"Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we know, Creation, the planet of stable climate in which civilization developed.\" — James Hansen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg" --- # Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we… ![“Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we know, Creation, the planet of stable climate in which civilization developed.” quote by James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg) > “Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we know, Creation, the planet of stable climate in which civilization developed.” [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Burning fossil fuels threatens stable climate, endangering the conditions that allowed civilization to develop. **In simple terms:** Fossil fuels harm Earth’s climate and human societies. Key Takeaway Reduce carbon emissions urgently. Themes environment climate civilization Mood urgent cautionary Type scientific policy‑oriented When to use this quote - policy drafting - educational outreach - energy transition planning Key Concepts anthropogenic warming planetary boundaries sustainability Questions to Reflect On - What policies can most effectively cut emissions? - How can societies adapt while preserving development? A Different Perspective Economic pressures often delay climate action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) [Burning Fossil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-fossil-763139/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Climate Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-civilization-1336389/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Destroy Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroy-planet-258208/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Fossil fuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fossil-fuel/) [Fossil fuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fossil-fuels/) [Fossils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fossils/) [Fuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fuel/) [Fuels Destroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fuels-destroy-6009698/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Stable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stable/) ## Related quotes > [Burning fossil fuels has given us the gift of seeing ourselves in new ways. But that very gift now enables us to see we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/burning-fossil-fuels-has-given-us-the-gift-of-seeing-ourselves-in-new/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If burning fossil fuels was so bad that it threatened our very existence, how could we just continue like before? Why were there no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-thunburg/if-burning-fossil-fuels-was-so-bad-that-it-threatened-our-very/) [Greta Thunburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-thunburg/) > [Once the steam engine went away and we started moving into burning fossil fuels - not just burning them, but everything we do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/once-the-steam-engine-went-away-and-we-started-moving-into-burning/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [Coal is responsible for as much atmospheric carbon dioxide as other fossil fuels combined and it still has far greater reserves. We must stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/coal-is-responsible-for-as-much-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-as-other/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [It's as certain that as long as fossil fuels are the cheapest energy, we will just keep burning them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/it-s-as-certain-that-as-long-as-fossil-fuels-are-the-cheapest-energy/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [You can't turn on your television without seeing these advertisements about clean coal, clean tar sands and the claim that there's more jobs associated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/you-can-t-turn-on-your-television-without-seeing-these-advertisements/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Culture is the name for what people are interested in, their thoughts, their models, the books they read and the speeches they hear, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/culture-is-the-name-for-what-people-are-interested-in-their-thoughts/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [A republic may be called the climate of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/a-republic-may-be-called-the-climate-of-civilization/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [You see, the Greenhouse Effect is a direct result of burning fossil or old carbon fuels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/you-see-the-greenhouse-effect-is-a-direct-result-of-burning-fossil-or/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [You've got to do everything, everything's got to be pointing in the same direction and you've got to really turn this whole economic engine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kolbert/you-ve-got-to-do-everything-everything-s-got-to-be-pointing-in-the/) [Elizabeth Kolbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kolbert/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Civilization as we know it will come to an end sometime in this century unless we can find a way to live without fossil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-goodstein/civilization-as-we-know-it-will-come-to-an-end-sometime-in-this/) [David Goodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-goodstein/) > [I find it interesting that many of the people who want to restrict fossil fuels live in well-developed countries where abundant and affordable energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-r-raymond/i-find-it-interesting-that-many-of-the-people-who-want-to-restrict/) [Lee R. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-r-raymond/) > [The sooner we get started with alternative energy sources and recognize that fossil fuels makes us less secure as a nation, and more dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-sooner-we-get-started-with-alternative-energy-sources-and/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) ## More by James Hansen > [Talking nice about sun and wind and green jobs is just greenwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/talking-nice-about-sun-and-wind-and-green-jobs-is-just-greenwash/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [What is frustrating people, me included, is that democratic action affects elections but what we get then from political leaders is greenwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/what-is-frustrating-people-me-included-is-that-democratic-action/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [What makes tar sands particularly odious is that the energy you get out in the end, per unit carbon dioxide, is poor. It's equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/what-makes-tar-sands-particularly-odious-is-that-the-energy-you-get/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [We are on the precipice of climate system tipping points beyond which there is no redemption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/we-are-on-the-precipice-of-climate-system-tipping-points-beyond-which/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Jail threats did not dissuade Martin Luther King - and intergenerational justice is a moral issue of comparable magnitude to civil rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/jail-threats-did-not-dissuade-martin-luther-king-and/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The United States did not sign Kyoto, yet its emissions are not that different from the countries that did sign it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-united-states-did-not-sign-kyoto-yet-its-emissions-are-not-that/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade, which we interpret as a combination of natural variability and a slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last-2/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Rising carbon price is essential to 'decarbonize' the economy - to remove the nation towards the era beyond fossil fuels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/rising-carbon-price-is-essential-to-decarbonize-the-economy-to-remove/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Policy decisions on climate change are being deliberated every day by those without full knowledge of the science, and often with intentional misinformation spawned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/policy-decisions-on-climate-change-are-being-deliberated-every-day-by/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [ Imagine a giant asteroid on a direct collision course with Earth. That is the equivalent of what we face now \[with climate change\], yet… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/imagine-a-giant-asteroid-on-a-direct-collision-course-with-earth-that/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The most difficult task, phase-out over the next 20-25 years of coal use that does not capture COâ‚‚, is Herculean, yet feasible when compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-most-difficult-task-phase-out-over-the-next-20-25-years-of-coal/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [As species are exterminated by shifting climate zones, ecosystems can collapse, destroying more species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/as-species-are-exterminated-by-shifting-climate-zones-ecosystems-can/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [I think we have a very brief window of opportunity to deal with climate change... no longer than a decade, at the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/i-think-we-have-a-very-brief-window-of-opportunity-to-deal-with/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The climate system is being pushed hard enough that change will become obvious to the man in the street in the next decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-climate-system-is-being-pushed-hard-enough-that-change-will/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) [Explore all 94 James Hansen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) ## More Burning quotes > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-entire-cosmos-is-one-vast-burning-bush-permeated-by-the-fire-of/) [Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/) > [Two beautiful women crashing and burning for the sake of the Women's Championship!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/two-beautiful-women-crashing-and-burning-for-the-sake-of-the-women-s/) [Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/) > [He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-lowered-the-window-and-looked-out-at-the-rising-sun-there-was-a/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Catholicity seized on man... and the mystics, transcending all, taught him to ascend on high with the wings of contemplation the Ladder of Jacob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-donoso-cortes/catholicity-seized-on-man-and-the-mystics-transcending-all-taught-him/) [Juan Donoso Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-donoso-cortes/) > [Some fighters know when to stop on their own and go on to something else, and then some fighters have nothing to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hagler/some-fighters-know-when-to-stop-on-their-own-and-go-on-to-something/) [Marvin Hagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hagler/) > [Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-staring-too-long-into-the-burning-sun-and-the-relief-of/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [All philanthropy ... is only a savory fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. This incense offering makes the air more endurable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/all-philanthropy-is-only-a-savory-fumigation-burning-at-the-mouth-of/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Time is a vindictive bandit to steal the beauty of our former selves. We are left with sagging, rippled flesh and burning gums with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/time-is-a-vindictive-bandit-to-steal-the-beauty-of-our-former-selves/) [Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/) > [One writes because one has a burning desire to objectify what it is indispensable to one's happiness to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/one-writes-because-one-has-a-burning-desire-to-objectify-what-it-is/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [Nearly all runners do their slow runs too fast, and their fast runs too slow." Ken Mierke says. "So they're just training their bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/nearly-all-runners-do-their-slow-runs-too-fast-and-their-fast-runs/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [Intense, burning desire is the motivational force that enables you to overcome any obstacle and achieve almost any goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/intense-burning-desire-is-the-motivational-force-that-enables-you-to/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [Will closed his eyes. He could not hear Jem go, not anymore; he did not want to know the moment when he left and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/will-closed-his-eyes-he-could-not-hear-jem-go-not-anymore-he-did-not/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) [Browse all 1,668 Burning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we know, Creation, the planet of stable climate in which civilization developed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Hansen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destroy-the-planet-we-know-creation/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Burning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destroy-the-planet-we-know-creation/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/james-hansen-7143_burning_burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destro_2400431.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we know, Creation, the planet of stable climate in…” — James Hansen", "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": "James Hansen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Burning all the fossil fuels will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destroy-the-planet-we-know-creation/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/burning-all-the-fossil-fuels-will-destroy-the-planet-we-know-creation/#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 } } ] } ```