--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The simple fact is that the world is not…" description: "\"The simple fact is that the world is not paying for the services the forests provide. At the moment, they are worth more dead than alive-for soya, for ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/prince-charles-4903_alive_the-simple-fact-is-that-the-world-is-not_1222149.jpg" --- # The simple fact is that the world is not paying for the… ![“The simple fact is that the world is not paying for the services the forests provide. At the moment, they are worth more dead than alive-for soya, for beef, for palm oil and for logging, feeding the demand from other countries. ... I think we need to be clear that the drivers of rainforest…” quote by Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/prince-charles-4903_alive_the-simple-fact-is-that-the-world-is-not_1222149.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/prince-charles-4903_alive_the-simple-fact-is-that-the-world-is-not_1222149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/prince-charles-4903_alive_the-simple-fact-is-that-the-world-is-not_1222149.jpg) > “The simple fact is that the world is not paying for the services the forests provide. At the moment, they are worth more dead than alive-for soya, for beef, for palm oil and for logging, feeding the demand from other countries. ... I think we need to be clear that the drivers of rainforest destruction do not originate in the rainforest nations, but in the more developed countries which, unwittingly or not, have caused climate change.” [Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Forests are undervalued because their economic worth is measured only by extractable products, while their ecological services are ignored, leading to destruction driven by demand from wealthy nations. **In simple terms:** Forests are cheap when we ignore their life‑supporting services. Key Takeaway Recognize and pay for ecosystem services. Themes environment economics conservation climate change global inequality Mood concerned urgent reflective Type policy activist inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - corporate sourcing - consumer choices - land use planning Key Concepts ecosystem services externalities sustainable development Questions to Reflect On - How can we internalize nature’s value in markets? - What policies can shift demand from destructive products? A Different Perspective Economic incentives alone may not stop illegal logging without enforcement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Deforestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deforestation/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Developed country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developed-country/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Logging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logging/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Other countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-countries/) [Palm oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palm-oil/) [Rainforest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainforest/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“As long as people and institutions are allowed to profit from land at the expense of other people, we're enabling a system that incentivizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-adams/as-long-as-people-and-institutions-are-allowed-to-profit-from-land-at/) [Martin Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-adams/) > [Urban forests provide a number of benefits to communities, including carbon sequestration, a reduction in air pollution and noise, conservation of energy for homeowners,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-malliotakis/urban-forests-provide-a-number-of-benefits-to-communities-including/) [Nicole Malliotakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-malliotakis/) > [Note even Jonathan Swift would dare to write a satire in which politicians argued that - in a world where species are vanishing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/note-even-jonathan-swift-would-dare-to-write-a-satire-in-which/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [“Stay away from any place where you can run into police—that’s the advice I give to you and to all young black men in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imbolo-mbue/stay-away-from-any-place-where-you-can-run-into-police-that-s-the/) [Imbolo Mbue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imbolo-mbue/) > [“in making neurotransmitters, the pathways that neurons travel on. 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Stay away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imbolo-mbue/my-advice-to-someone-like-you-is-to-always-stay-close-to-the-gray/) [Imbolo Mbue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imbolo-mbue/) > [Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/proverbs-are-the-palm-oil-with-which-words-are-eaten/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [The commitment to put an end to illegal deforestation and develop sustainable alternatives for commodities like palm oil and soy, for example, is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/the-commitment-to-put-an-end-to-illegal-deforestation-and-develop/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [I'm boiling about the rainforests being chopped down to make disposable chopsticks. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-charles/the-medieval-islamic-world-from-central-asia-to-the-shores-of-the/) [Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/) > [Business is recognizing the role it can play in combatting climate change. 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