---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best way to deal with climate change…"
description: "\"The best way to deal with climate change has been obvious for years: cut greenhouse-gas emissions severely. We haven't done that. In 2010, for example,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg"
---

#  The best way to deal with climate change has been obvious…

![“The best way to deal with climate change has been obvious for years: cut greenhouse-gas emissions severely. We haven't done that. In 2010, for example, carbon emissions rose by six per cent - the largest such increase on record.” quote by Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg)

> “The best way to deal with climate change has been obvious for years: cut greenhouse-gas emissions severely. We haven't done that. In 2010, for example, carbon emissions rose by six per cent - the largest such increase on record.”

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Cutting greenhouse‑gas emissions dramatically is the obvious solution to climate change, yet political and economic inertia prevent action.

**In simple terms:** We must cut emissions, but we aren’t doing it.

Key Takeaway

Demand urgent policy and corporate emission cuts.

Themes

environment policy climate change

Mood

urgent concerned

Type

analysis call to action

When to use this quote

- government negotiations
- corporate sustainability reports
- public advocacy campaigns
- energy transition plans

Key Concepts

sustainability political will economic barriers

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies could overcome inertia?
- How can citizens pressure leaders effectively?

A Different Perspective

Economic costs and political resistance hinder rapid emission reductions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-way/) [Carbon emissions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon-emissions/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Emissions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emissions/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/)

## Related quotes

> [You know, we - if, for example, Jerry Brown can withstand, you know, what will probably end up being $200 million of spending by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/you-know-we-if-for-example-jerry-brown-can-withstand-you-know-what/)

[David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/)

> [I think Bloomberg's broad vision of the environment in New York City is something I agree with. I broadly stand with his vision for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-de-blasio/i-think-bloomberg-s-broad-vision-of-the-environment-in-new-york-city/)

[Bill de Blasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-de-blasio/)

> [Time is running out to deal with climate change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-guilbeault/time-is-running-out-to-deal-with-climate-change/)

Steven Guilbeault

> [A 501(c)3 can't lobby. A 501(c)3 can't invest in a company or build an industry. It may be that the only way to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/a-501-c-3-can-t-lobby-a-501-c-3-can-t-invest-in-a-company-or-build-an/)

[Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/)

> [I'm guessing the most efficient way would be to transfer an awful lot of technology, but also direct aid to deal with climate emergencies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-m-guessing-the-most-efficient-way-would-be-to-transfer-an-awful-lot/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [After spending three or four years interacting with the Bush administration, I realized they were not taking any actions to deal with climate change.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/after-spending-three-or-four-years-interacting-with-the-bush/)

[James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/)

> [It's in our interest to continue with the Paris Agreement and to deal with climate change as the real threat it actually is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/it-s-in-our-interest-to-continue-with-the-paris-agreement-and-to-deal/)

[Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/)

> [A New World Order is required to deal with the Climate Change crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/a-new-world-order-is-required-to-deal-with-the-climate-change-crisis/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [ I know it's absurd, but they're out saying so, and Hillary \[Clinton\] makes a big, big deal about climate change. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-know-it-s-absurd-but-they-re-out-saying-so-and-hillary-clinton/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [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/)

> [Now, as the world's scientists focus with increasing intensity on transforming the genetic codes of every living creature into information that can be used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/now-as-the-world-s-scientists-focus-with-increasing-intensity-on/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [While the leading environmental alarmists burn fossil fuels like they're going out of style, the United States under President Trump has led the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/while-the-leading-environmental-alarmists-burn-fossil-fuels-like-they/)

[Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/)

> [Our carbon emissions have to eventually go to zero. We have to. Otherwise we're never going to have a stable climate and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hayhoe/our-carbon-emissions-have-to-eventually-go-to-zero-we-have-to/)

[Katharine Hayhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hayhoe/)

> [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [We're talking about should we increase taxes? Why not put a tax on carbon emissions. It would raise a lot of money, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-engle/we-re-talking-about-should-we-increase-taxes-why-not-put-a-tax-on/)

[Robert F. Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-engle/)

## More by Michael Specter

> [There are always potential side effects for every vaccine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-are-always-potential-side-effects-for-every-vaccine/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [Until the Nineteen-Eighties, when Deng Xiaoping designated the area as China's first special economic zone, Shenzhen had been a tiny fishing village. Suddenly, eleven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/until-the-nineteen-eighties-when-deng-xiaoping-designated-the-area-as/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [There are people who could watch a hurricane like Sandy blow out of the Atlantic every other day and blame it on anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-are-people-who-could-watch-a-hurricane-like-sandy-blow-out-of/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [We're lying ourselves into believing things are untrue, like organic food will solve all our problems, or vitamins will make us healthy, or we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/we-re-lying-ourselves-into-believing-things-are-untrue-like-organic/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [I started to write about science and medicine at the 'Washington Post,' in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/i-started-to-write-about-science-and-medicine-at-the-washington-post/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [Clearly, some of the reason people embrace alternatives and reject vaccines is that they are angry and mistrustful of government and of pharmaceutical conglomerates.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/clearly-some-of-the-reason-people-embrace-alternatives-and-reject/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [The numbers matter: underreporting of Lyme disease obscures the true burden of the illnesses, on individuals as well as on health-care systems. It also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/the-numbers-matter-underreporting-of-lyme-disease-obscures-the-true/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [There is a major problem with reliance on placebos, like most vitamins and antioxidants. Everyone gets upset about Big Science, Big Pharma, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-is-a-major-problem-with-reliance-on-placebos-like-most-vitamins/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [Denialist arguments are often bolstered by accurate information taken wildly out of context, wielded selectively, and supported by fake experts who often don't seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/denialist-arguments-are-often-bolstered-by-accurate-information-taken/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [Your dollar cheeseburger isn't a dollar if you factor in what it's going to cost in health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/your-dollar-cheeseburger-isn-t-a-dollar-if-you-factor-in-what-it-s/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [To suggest that organic vegetables, which cost far more than conventional produce, can feed billions of people in parts of the world without roads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/to-suggest-that-organic-vegetables-which-cost-far-more-than/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [The history of agriculture is the history of humans breeding seeds and animals to produce traits we want in our crops and livestock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/the-history-of-agriculture-is-the-history-of-humans-breeding-seeds/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [With a hundred and seventy-eight machines to sequence the precise order of the billions of chemicals within a molecule of DNA, B.G.I. produces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/with-a-hundred-and-seventy-eight-machines-to-sequence-the-precise/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [Be sceptical, ask questions, demand proof. Demand evidence. Don't take anything for granted. But here's the thing: When you get proof, you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/be-sceptical-ask-questions-demand-proof-demand-evidence-don-t-take/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [Nobody celebrates when they avoid an illness they never expected to get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/nobody-celebrates-when-they-avoid-an-illness-they-never-expected-to/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

[Explore all 79 Michael Specter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

## More Been quotes

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/)

[Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

Browse all 13,699 Been quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The best way to deal with climate change has been obvious for years: cut greenhouse-gas emissions severely. We haven't done that. In 2010, for example, carbon emissions rose by six per cent - the largest such increase on record.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Specter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change-has-been-obvious-for-years/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Been"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change-has-been-obvious-for-years/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24a/michael-specter-8599_been_the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change_1108647.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The best way to deal with climate change has been obvious for years: cut greenhouse-gas emissions severely…” — Michael Specter",
                "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": "Michael Specter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The best way to deal with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change-has-been-obvious-for-years/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/the-best-way-to-deal-with-climate-change-has-been-obvious-for-years/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
