--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot afford to put off change any…" description: "\"We cannot afford to put off change any longer. We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/james-hansen-7143_administration_we-cannot-afford-to-put-off-change-any-l_2258351.jpg" --- # We cannot afford to put off change any longer. We have to… ![“We cannot afford to put off change any longer. We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. America must take the lead.” quote by James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/james-hansen-7143_administration_we-cannot-afford-to-put-off-change-any-l_2258351.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/james-hansen-7143_administration_we-cannot-afford-to-put-off-change-any-l_2258351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/james-hansen-7143_administration_we-cannot-afford-to-put-off-change-any-l_2258351.jpg) > “We cannot afford to put off change any longer. We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. America must take the lead.” [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. Urgent call for immediate policy shift to address climate crisis within limited political timeframe. **In simple terms:** Act now on climate change. Key Takeaway Prioritize rapid climate action. Themes climate urgency policy leadership Mood urgent determined Type political activist When to use this quote - government legislation - international agreements - public advocacy - business strategies Key Concepts environmentalism political will global governance Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders sustain climate policies beyond elections? - What incentives can accelerate rapid change? A Different Perspective Political cycles may limit long‑term commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Afford Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afford-change-5187642/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Lead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-lead-1482416/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Four years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four-years/) [Global warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-warming/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-obama-2705009/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [New Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-administration-313951/) [New paths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-paths/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-left-460672/) ## Related quotes > [I had three points I wanted to make. That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-had-three-points-i-wanted-to-make-that-not-everybody-in-hollywood/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I couldn't help but be struck that this guy I had thought was the embodiment of everything wrong with American politics, a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/i-couldn-t-help-but-be-struck-that-this-guy-i-had-thought-was-the/) [Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/) > [The answer is I am not committed to doing anything in a new administration or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/the-answer-is-i-am-not-committed-to-doing-anything-in-a-new/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [If you've got a brand new administration coming into office you want to have, at the very least, a national security team in place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/if-you-ve-got-a-brand-new-administration-coming-into-office-you-want/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [The most upsetting part of the new administration is discovering that the person who won the election and became the president of the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/the-most-upsetting-part-of-the-new-administration-is-discovering-that/) [Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/) > [The new administration seems to be paying no attention to the problem of terrorism. What they will do is stagger along until there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bremer/the-new-administration-seems-to-be-paying-no-attention-to-the-problem/) [Paul Bremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bremer/) > [Temporary teams of trusted people are generally sent to all Departments and to major agencies of government to assist in planning and to acquaint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-v-allen/temporary-teams-of-trusted-people-are-generally-sent-to-all/) [Richard V. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-v-allen/) > [It's hard to know what you can do just on your own as a new administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gruber/it-s-hard-to-know-what-you-can-do-just-on-your-own-as-a-new/) [Jonathan Gruber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gruber/) > [My goal in the new administration is to engage all of the stakeholders, everyone who can help us meet the challenges of the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/my-goal-in-the-new-administration-is-to-engage-all-of-the/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [Usually, those persons closest to the incoming President will be the main leaders of the Transition effort. They are most familiar with his policies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-v-allen/usually-those-persons-closest-to-the-incoming-president-will-be-the/) [Richard V. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-v-allen/) > [One of the biggest challenges for any new administration is contending with its predecessor's priorities and beginning to advance its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-scalia/one-of-the-biggest-challenges-for-any-new-administration-is/) [Eugene Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-scalia/) > [ Others say that that's not good for the country \[to resist Donald's Trump \] and that they should work with this new administration on policies. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/others-say-that-that-s-not-good-for-the-country-to-resist-donald-s/) [Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/) > [Yes, I don't believe that the inter-Korean relationship has, quote, 'deteriorated' since I assumed office. Rather I believe that the relationship between the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-myung-bak/yes-i-don-t-believe-that-the-inter-korean-relationship-has-quote/) [Lee Myung-bak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-myung-bak/) > [One of the banners I would put up in front of any American president and new administration is 'Do not overreact to your predecessors'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-keane/one-of-the-banners-i-would-put-up-in-front-of-any-american-president/) [Jack Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-keane/) > [It's not a question of arriving and putting in a whole new administration, but instead, arriving and "compacting" things as much as possible, reducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-slim/it-s-not-a-question-of-arriving-and-putting-in-a-whole-new/) [Carlos Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-slim/) ## 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 Administration quotes > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/) [Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We cannot afford to put off change any longer. We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. 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