Borrowing Quote by Kevin McCloud
“We are borrowing money from future generations. We are borrowing the carbon impact, the resource impact from future generations to get stuff cheap now. We have swept the dirt and dust from our society under the carpet - but this carpet is on other side of the planet.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Documentary series "Grand Designs", 2010
Our consumption shifts environmental and resource burdens onto future peoples, masking the true cost of cheap goods.
In simple terms: We pay cheap now, but future generations pay the price.
Key Takeaway
Consider long‑term impacts of choices.
Themes
environment
economics
intergenerational justice
consumption
responsibility
Mood
concerned
reflective
Type
cautionary
ethical
When to use this quote
- policy making
- product design
- personal purchasing
- urban planning
Key Concepts
externalities
sustainability
carbon accounting
Questions to Reflect On
- What hidden costs does your lifestyle impose on tomorrow?
- How can we make hidden impacts visible?
A Different Perspective
Future costs may become irreversible if not addressed.
![“When the fountains of government [borrowing] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the state was forced to check the extension of bureaucracy and to put a stop to public works, then and then only did the Italians realize what it…” quote by John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/908/john-t-flynn-18493_abundance_when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowi_2663.jpg)
