--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For relatively modest amounts of sulfur…" description: "\"For relatively modest amounts of sulfur dioxide injected into the atmosphere, you could easily cool Earth by 1% or more, if you want.\" — Nathan Myhrvold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png" --- # For relatively modest amounts of sulfur dioxide injected… ![“For relatively modest amounts of sulfur dioxide injected into the atmosphere, you could easily cool Earth by 1% or more, if you want.” quote by Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png) > “For relatively modest amounts of sulfur dioxide injected into the atmosphere, you could easily cool Earth by 1% or more, if you want.” [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Injecting modest sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere could cool Earth by over 1%. **In simple terms:** Small sulfur dioxide releases could lower global temperature. Key Takeaway Consider geoengineering as a climate tool. Themes climate geoengineering science policy technology Mood cautious analytical Type scientific policy When to use this quote - energy policy - environmental planning - research funding - public discourse Key Concepts Atmospheric chemistry climate mitigation Questions to Reflect On - What risks accompany large‑scale sulfur injection? - How should decisions on geoengineering be made? A Different Perspective Potential side effects and governance challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Sulfur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sulfur/) ## Related quotes > [I have flown twice over Mount St. Helens out on our West Coast. I'm not a scientist and I don't know the figures, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-have-flown-twice-over-mount-st-helens-out-on-our-west-coast-i-m-not/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Images, not words, capture feelings in faces; nothing can ruin the atmosphere as easily as too much light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sven-nykvist/images-not-words-capture-feelings-in-faces-nothing-can-ruin-the/) Sven Nykvist > [That would be cool if the earth's crust was made out of graham cracker. It would disappear just like the ozone layer, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/that-would-be-cool-if-the-earth-s-crust-was-made-out-of-graham/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [A spark in the sun, this tiny flower has roots deep in the cool earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-behn/a-spark-in-the-sun-this-tiny-flower-has-roots-deep-in-the-cool-earth/) Harry Behn > [Climate change is real, and we need to work on a comprehensive approach. We eliminated sulfur dioxide in the air, and got rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/climate-change-is-real-and-we-need-to-work-on-a-comprehensive/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [In Los Angeles, half of all smog from sulfur dioxide comes in from ships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/in-los-angeles-half-of-all-smog-from-sulfur-dioxide-comes-in-from/) [Rose George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/) > [The atmosphere of Venus consists of ammonia, sulfur, and nitric oxide. Man must have lived there once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-brie/the-atmosphere-of-venus-consists-of-ammonia-sulfur-and-nitric-oxide/) Andre Brie > [ \[On the propulsive force of rockets\] One part of fire takes up as much space as ten parts of air, and one part of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vannoccio-biringuccio/on-the-propulsive-force-of-rockets-one-part-of-fire-takes-up-as-much/) Vannoccio Biringuccio > [Sulfur, when burning, absorbs oxygen gas; the resulting acid is considerably heavier than the sulfur burned; its weight is equal to the sum of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/sulfur-when-burning-absorbs-oxygen-gas-the-resulting-acid-is/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [“About eight days ago I discovered that sulfur in burning, far from losing weight, on the contrary, gains it; it is the same with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/about-eight-days-ago-i-discovered-that-sulfur-in-burning-far-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [I think if you have mandatory carbon caps combined with a trading system, much like we did with sulfur, and if you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/i-think-if-you-have-mandatory-carbon-caps-combined-with-a-trading/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through radioactive materials and a steady increase in carbon dioxide from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/this-generation-has-altered-the-composition-of-the-atmosphere-on-a/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Probably no single event highlights the strength of Campbell's argument (on peak oil) better than the rapid development of the Alberta tar sands. Bitumen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/probably-no-single-event-highlights-the-strength-of-campbell-s/) Andrew Nikiforuk > [Off they go on this sort of camping trip to Iwo Jima, where they're taken around and shown where all the battles took place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/off-they-go-on-this-sort-of-camping-trip-to-iwo-jima-where-they-re/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Scotland: That garret of the earth - that knuckle-end of England - that land of Calvin, oatcakes, and sulfur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/scotland-that-garret-of-the-earth-that-knuckle-end-of-england-that/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) ## More by Nathan Myhrvold > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [In market research I did at Microsoft Corp. in the early 1990s, I estimated that the 'Wall Street Journal' took in about 75 cents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-market-research-i-did-at-microsoft-corp-in-the-early-1990s-i/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Our reactor actually burns nuclear waste as fuel. So not only is it safe and powerful, it solves an important issue: It actually reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/our-reactor-actually-burns-nuclear-waste-as-fuel-so-not-only-is-it/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Food, like anything else, lives in the physical world and obeys the laws of physics. When you whisk together some oil and a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/food-like-anything-else-lives-in-the-physical-world-and-obeys-the/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [If people don't find what you are doing threatening, then it is probably not very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-people-don-t-find-what-you-are-doing-threatening-then-it-is/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Among modern occupations, only cult leaders and TV weathermen rival the technological visionary's ability to retain credibility despite all evidence to the contrary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/among-modern-occupations-only-cult-leaders-and-tv-weathermen-rival/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Crazy ideas sometimes work, and the technological society that we have is built on a foundation of those crazy ideas that work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/crazy-ideas-sometimes-work-and-the-technological-society-that-we-have/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [An efficient government is dangerous in the hands of the wrong man. Sadly, the right sort of man never seems interested in the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/an-efficient-government-is-dangerous-in-the-hands-of-the-wrong-man/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [When we first did 'Modernist Cuisine,' I think most people in cookbook publishing would have said, 'This is insane.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/when-we-first-did-modernist-cuisine-i-think-most-people-in-cookbook/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [One of the greatest things that Apple and Jobs were very good at doing was daring to do the very different thing. It's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/one-of-the-greatest-things-that-apple-and-jobs-were-very-good-at/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [The first thing that is not obvious to people is global warming is a less-than-1% effect. It's like being shortchanged at the bank by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/the-first-thing-that-is-not-obvious-to-people-is-global-warming-is-a/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Ultimately, my Ph.D. is in mathematical physics, focusing on quantum field theory and curved space-time, and I worked with Stephen Hawking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/ultimately-my-ph-d-is-in-mathematical-physics-focusing-on-quantum/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [The way Moore's Law occurs in computing is really unprecedented in other walks of life. If the Boeing 747 obeyed Moore's Law, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/the-way-moore-s-law-occurs-in-computing-is-really-unprecedented-in/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [If you talk about sous-vide, then you have to talk about food safety, and microbiology, and heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-you-talk-about-sous-vide-then-you-have-to-talk-about-food-safety/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [A person's basic humanity is not governed by how he or she came into this world, or whether somebody else happens to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/a-person-s-basic-humanity-is-not-governed-by-how-he-or-she-came-into/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) [Explore all 134 Nathan Myhrvold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## More Amount quotes > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) F. A. Harper > [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/) [Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/) > [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/) [Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/) > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For relatively modest amounts of sulfur dioxide injected into the atmosphere, you could easily cool Earth by 1% or more, if you want.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathan Myhrvold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur-dioxide-injected-into-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amount" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur-dioxide-injected-into-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/nathan-myhrvold-3298_amount_for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur_792891.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For relatively modest amounts of sulfur dioxide injected into the atmosphere, you could easily cool Earth by…” — Nathan Myhrvold", "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": "Nathan Myhrvold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For relatively modest amounts of sulfur...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur-dioxide-injected-into-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/for-relatively-modest-amounts-of-sulfur-dioxide-injected-into-the/#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 } } ] } ```