---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have no idea what's natural and what's…"
description: "\"We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. [...] There is no fingerprint of human-caused warming.\" — Roy Spencer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png"
---

#  We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. \[...\]…

![“We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. &#91;...&#93; There is no fingerprint of human-caused warming.” quote by Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png)

> “We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. \[...\] There is no fingerprint of human-caused warming.”

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

## About This Quote

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

We cannot clearly distinguish natural climate variations from human‑induced changes, and evidence for a distinct human fingerprint is lacking.

**In simple terms:** Hard to tell natural vs man‑made climate change.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about climate attribution.

Themes

climate science uncertainty human impact

Mood

skeptical analytical

Type

scientific critical

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- environmental research
- public communication

Key Concepts

anthropogenic warming natural variability

Questions to Reflect On

- How reliable are current climate models?
- What evidence would convincingly show human influence?

A Different Perspective

Attribution studies show mixed signals and methodological limits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Fingerprints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingerprints/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warming/)

## Related quotes

> [There is a point of no return after which warming becomes unstoppable - and we are probably going to sail right through it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwynne-dyer/there-is-a-point-of-no-return-after-which-warming-becomes-unstoppable/)

[Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwynne-dyer/)

> [There is a point of no return after which warming becomes unstoppable - and we are probably going to sail right through it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwynne-dyer/there-is-a-point-of-no-return-after-which-warming-becomes-unstoppable-2/)

[Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwynne-dyer/)

> [“Even with all the crazy stuff happening recently, beneath the sorrow and the anger, I was still a red-blooded, twenty-three-year-old woman sitting in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/even-with-all-the-crazy-stuff-happening-recently-beneath-the-sorrow/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [Human-caused climate change threatens almost every aspect of human existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lowenthal/human-caused-climate-change-threatens-almost-every-aspect-of-human/)

Alan Lowenthal

> [So much destruction in modern war takes place miles and miles away from the source of the destruction, the human being who has caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/so-much-destruction-in-modern-war-takes-place-miles-and-miles-away/)

[James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/)

> [It is well known that strong to violent tornado activity in the US has decreased markedly since statistics began in the 1950s, which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/it-is-well-known-that-strong-to-violent-tornado-activity-in-the-us/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Contrary to popular accounts, very few scientists in the world - possibly none - have a sufficiently thorough, 'big picture' understanding of the climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/contrary-to-popular-accounts-very-few-scientists-in-the-world/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Politicians and some of the scientists like to say that there's a consensus now on global warming or the science has been settled, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/politicians-and-some-of-the-scientists-like-to-say-that-there-s-a/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [“All the superstition this day living in the world is built upon this foundation: so natural it is to man to pull God down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-symington/all-the-superstition-this-day-living-in-the-world-is-built-upon-this/)

[William Symington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-symington/)

> [“They drove farther north like that. In perfect loving antagonism. It occurred to Ted that maybe Marty was like all the red and gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/they-drove-farther-north-like-that-in-perfect-loving-antagonism-it/)

[David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/)

> [“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr-2/for-the-natural-man-is-an-enemy-to-god-and-has-been-from-the-fall-of/)

[Joseph Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr-2/)

> [Natural man did not precede society, nor is he outside it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-levi-strauss/natural-man-did-not-precede-society-nor-is-he-outside-it/)

[Claude Levi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/)

> [There are three kinds of nature in man, as Nicetas Stethatos further explains: the carnal man, who wants to live for his own pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-colliander/there-are-three-kinds-of-nature-in-man-as-nicetas-stethatos-further/)

[Tito Colliander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-colliander/)

> [“Healthy men do house and yard work in order to connect with their primal instincts. This is in contrast to men whom Nietzsche describes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/healthy-men-do-house-and-yard-work-in-order-to-connect-with-their/)

VD

> [“The law of God is not easy for natural man. Its standard is high and cannot be achieved apart from God's supernatural grace. God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tedd-tripp/the-law-of-god-is-not-easy-for-natural-man-its-standard-is-high-and/)

[Tedd Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tedd-tripp/)

## More by Roy Spencer

> [Nature is not static, but causes its own, internally-generated changes - both in climate and in biological systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/nature-is-not-static-but-causes-its-own-internally-generated-changes/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Politicians and some of the scientists like to say that there's a consensus now on global warming or the science has been settled, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/politicians-and-some-of-the-scientists-like-to-say-that-there-s-a/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Contrary to popular accounts, very few scientists in the world - possibly none - have a sufficiently thorough, 'big picture' understanding of the climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/contrary-to-popular-accounts-very-few-scientists-in-the-world/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [It is well known that strong to violent tornado activity in the US has decreased markedly since statistics began in the 1950s, which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/it-is-well-known-that-strong-to-violent-tornado-activity-in-the-us/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [“One of the large uncertainties about climate change is the extent to which it changes naturally. This dirty little secret is usually swept under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/one-of-the-large-uncertainties-about-climate-change-is-the-extent-to/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [“The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the inherent uncertainties in different scientific disciplines suggests to me that our current crop of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-little-about-the-inherent/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Believe it or not, very little research has ever been funded to search for natural mechanisms of warming... it has simply been assumed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/believe-it-or-not-very-little-research-has-ever-been-funded-to-search/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [All scientists should be skeptics. The reason why is that, even with the best of scientific measurements, we can come up with all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/all-scientists-should-be-skeptics-the-reason-why-is-that-even-with/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Al Gore likes to say that mankind puts 70 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every day. What he probably doesn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/al-gore-likes-to-say-that-mankind-puts-70-million-tons-of-carbon/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [I would wager that my job has helped save our economy from the economic ravages of out-of-control environmental extremism. I view my job a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/i-would-wager-that-my-job-has-helped-save-our-economy-from-the/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [We are now at the point in the age of global warming hysteria where the IPCC global warming theory has crashed into the hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-are-now-at-the-point-in-the-age-of-global-warming-hysteria-where/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Temperature measurements in the arctic suggest that it was just as warm there in the 1930's...before most greenhouse gas emissions. Don't you ever wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/temperature-measurements-in-the-arctic-suggest-that-it-was-just-as/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [Twice I have testified in congress that unbiased funding on the subject of the causes of warming would be much closer to a reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/twice-i-have-testified-in-congress-that-unbiased-funding-on-the/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [I finally became convinced that the theory of creation actually had a much better scientific basis than the theory of evolution, for the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/i-finally-became-convinced-that-the-theory-of-creation-actually-had-a/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

> [We see something change in our climate and we blame ourselves ... I don't think we understand what happens. We can watch it happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-see-something-change-in-our-climate-and-we-blame-ourselves-i-don-t/)

[Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

[Explore all 17 Roy Spencer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/)

## More Climate quotes

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [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/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

> [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/)

[John F. 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. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

[Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. [...] There is no fingerprint of human-caused warming.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roy Spencer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what-s-man-made-there-is-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Climate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what-s-man-made-there-is-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/roy-spencer-30236_climate_we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what_1743733.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. [...] There is no fingerprint of human-caused warming.” — Roy Spencer",
                "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": "Roy Spencer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We have no idea what's natural...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what-s-man-made-there-is-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what-s-man-made-there-is-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
