--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to treat the planet as a system…" description: "\"We need to treat the planet as a system, and up until now, we've operated more as if the world were made of separate parts - this part is environment, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/neri-oxman-12094_climate_we-need-to-treat-the-planet-as-a-system_2679003.jpg" --- # We need to treat the planet as a system, and up until now… ![“We need to treat the planet as a system, and up until now, we've operated more as if the world were made of separate parts - this part is environment, this part is economy. But everything is connected. You can't fix global warming with a Ph.D. in thermodynamics!” quote by Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/neri-oxman-12094_climate_we-need-to-treat-the-planet-as-a-system_2679003.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/neri-oxman-12094_climate_we-need-to-treat-the-planet-as-a-system_2679003.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/neri-oxman-12094_climate_we-need-to-treat-the-planet-as-a-system_2679003.jpg) > “We need to treat the planet as a system, and up until now, we've operated more as if the world were made of separate parts - this part is environment, this part is economy. But everything is connected. You can't fix global warming with a Ph.D. in thermodynamics!” [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human systems are interdependent; treating environment and economy separately fails to address climate change. **In simple terms:** Everything is connected; holistic thinking needed. Key Takeaway Adopt integrated solutions for sustainability. Themes environment economy systems thinking Mood inspirational urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - policy making - urban planning - education - business strategy Key Concepts interdependence holistic design Questions to Reflect On - What interdisciplinary approaches can you support? - How to balance economic growth with ecological health? A Different Perspective Complex problems may resist simple solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Global warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-warming/) [Warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warming/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The message from Wal-Mart today to the rest of the business community is there need not be any conflict between the environment and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-message-from-wal-mart-today-to-the-rest-of-the-business-community/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [It's not a choice between our environment and our economy; it's a choice between prosperity and decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-not-a-choice-between-our-environment-and-our-economy-it-s-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Investing in sewer and stormwater infrastructure is a top priority for my administration, because it's good for both our environment and the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-scott/investing-in-sewer-and-stormwater-infrastructure-is-a-top-priority/) [Phil Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-scott/) > [This is the kind of balance people expect: both environment and the economy - not one or the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/this-is-the-kind-of-balance-people-expect-both-environment-and-the/) [Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/) > ['Green' issues at last are attracting serious attention, owing to critically important links between the environment and the economy, health, and our security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/green-issues-at-last-are-attracting-serious-attention-owing-to/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If we're going to make progress to protect our environment, it's critical that people on both sides of the aisle speak out about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mast/if-we-re-going-to-make-progress-to-protect-our-environment-it-s/) [Brian Mast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mast/) > [Energy consumption matters both to our environment and our economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldacci/energy-consumption-matters-both-to-our-environment-and-our-economy/) [John Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldacci/) > [Thousands of people die every year of cold, so if we had global warming it would save lives ... 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Every time he shows up someplace, every time, it's almost comical, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/global-warming-snowstorm-algore-paralyzing-the-upper-midwest-two/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“These partisan beliefs can upset the equation in which more information will bring us closer to the truth. A recent study in Nature found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/these-partisan-beliefs-can-upset-the-equation-in-which-more/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [“If a blanket could be used to keep one person warm, then it stands to reason that all the blankets in the world are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-a-blanket-could-be-used-to-keep-one-person-warm-then-it-stands-to/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) ## More by Neri Oxman > [I like to mostly wear very simple clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/i-like-to-mostly-wear-very-simple-clothes/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [I like to think of synthetic biology as liquid alchemy, only instead of transmuting precious metals, you're synthesizing new biological functionality inside very small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/i-like-to-think-of-synthetic-biology-as-liquid-alchemy-only-instead/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [In the end, it's clear that the incorporation of synthetic biology in product and architectural design will enable the transition from designs that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/in-the-end-it-s-clear-that-the-incorporation-of-synthetic-biology-in/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [Look at spiders. They use about eight different properties of silk for different functions. The spider is like a multimaterial 3D printer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/look-at-spiders-they-use-about-eight-different-properties-of-silk-for/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [When I came to MIT, there were four rubrics: science, art, design, and technology. And as you entered your degree, whether it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/when-i-came-to-mit-there-were-four-rubrics-science-art-design-and/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [I am equally fascinated and awed by visiting an Alexander McQueen show as I am looking under a microscope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/i-am-equally-fascinated-and-awed-by-visiting-an-alexander-mcqueen/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [I object to the hegemony of form in contemporary architecture. 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I believe that the future is built by small pieces that add up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/rarely-do-we-see-immediate-use-of-innovative-technologies-i-believe/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [If you think about it, the printing press allowed everyone to print books - it democratised the printing of information. For the first time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/if-you-think-about-it-the-printing-press-allowed-everyone-to-print/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [The future of design is a future where anything material in the environment - whether it's wearables, cars, buildings - can be designed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/the-future-of-design-is-a-future-where-anything-material-in-the/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [Forms in nature are a byproduct of a reciprocal action between a given material and the conditions of the environment. 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Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. 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