Capitalism Quote by Noam Chomsky
““The rich and powerful are going to survive longer, but the effects are very real―and they're getting worse very quickly as more and more people get marginalized because they play no role in profit-making, which is considered the only human value. Well, the environmental problems are simply much more significant in scale than anything else in the past. And there's a fair possibility―certainly a possibility high enough so that no rational person would exclude it―that within a couple hundred years the world's water-level will have risen to the point that most of human life will have been destroyed.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Climate Crisis, 2020
The quote warns that wealth and power protect a few while marginalizing many, and that climate change will cause catastrophic sea‑level rise threatening humanity.
In simple terms: Power protects few, climate threatens all.
Key Takeaway
Act now to protect the vulnerable.
Themes
environment
inequality
climate change
future
justice
Mood
urgent
grave
reflective
Type
warning
political
environmental
When to use this quote
- policy making
- urban planning
- community activism
- disaster preparedness
Key Concepts
social stratification
ecological risk
systemic neglect
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we restructure economies to value people over profit?
- What immediate actions can reduce sea‑level rise?
A Different Perspective
The timeline may be uncertain, and technological fixes could mitigate impacts.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
![“Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a [Soviet socialistic] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants, lands, banks, means of transportation, etc., remain untouched there, and, therefore, capitalism in Germany and Italy…” quote by Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/411/joseph-stalin-1734_capitalism_neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-natio_1430.jpg)
