--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For humans, the Arctic is a harshly…" description: "\"For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive - and thrive. 'Harsh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg" --- # For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place… ![“For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive - and thrive. 'Harsh' to us is 'home' for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible…” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg) > “For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive - and thrive. 'Harsh' to us is 'home' for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible literally melts away.” [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Arctic conditions are essential for polar bears; warming threatens their habitat and survival. **In simple terms:** Arctic is polar bears' home; warming endangers them. Key Takeaway Protect Arctic habitats. Themes environment climate change species survival habitat conservation Mood urgent hopeful Type activist educational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - educational campaigns - research expeditions - community outreach Key Concepts ecosystem interdependence climate resilience wildlife adaptation Questions to Reflect On - What policies can balance human activity with polar bear preservation? - How can individuals reduce their carbon footprint to protect the Arctic? A Different Perspective Human economic interests often prioritize short‑term gain over long‑term ecological health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arctic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arctic/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Ice and snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-and-snow/) [Polar Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polar-bear/) [Polar bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polar-bears/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow/) ## Related quotes > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) Amy Ridenour > [We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-need-to-save-the-arctic-not-because-of-the-polar-bears-and-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Polar bears can swim 100 miles without rest”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-anderson/polar-bears-can-swim-100-miles-without-rest/) [Adam Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-anderson/) > [There's a Polar Bear In our Frigidaire-- He likes it 'cause it's cold in there. With his seat in the meat And his face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/there-s-a-polar-bear-in-our-frigidaire-he-likes-it-cause-it-s-cold-in/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [We were working under very harsh conditions on 'Zero Kelvin.' We were up there in the Arctic, closer to the North Pole than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/we-were-working-under-very-harsh-conditions-on-zero-kelvin-we-were-up/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [I think that I was slightly naive. I thought that if I showed people the beauty of the Arctic and the beauty of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-that-i-was-slightly-naive-i-thought-that-if-i-showed-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What do we talk about? Just ordinary things. What happened today, or books we've read, or tomorrow's weather, you know. Don't tell me you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/what-do-we-talk-about-just-ordinary-things-what-happened-today-or/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I've always thought of nuclear as something that's good for the environment. I worry about my polar bears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-dewan/i-ve-always-thought-of-nuclear-as-something-that-s-good-for-the/) [Leslie Dewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-dewan/) > [I don't think there's any way we can save the polar bears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-steger/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-way-we-can-save-the-polar-bears/) Will Steger > [“Go with polar bears, I say to myself. Polar bears at the North Pole. Baby polar bears scooting along after their mothers in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/go-with-polar-bears-i-say-to-myself-polar-bears-at-the-north-pole/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [The only place Al Gore conserves energy these days is on the treadmill. I don't want to suggest that Al's getting big, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-only-place-al-gore-conserves-energy-these-days-is-on-the/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [If some of our teenage thrill seekers really want to go out and get a thrill, let them go up into the Northwest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-bear/if-some-of-our-teenage-thrill-seekers-really-want-to-go-out-and-get-a/) [Fred Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-bear/) > [There's another totally fraudulent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Al Gore hadn't done anything but make a movie that itself was filled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-another-totally-fraudulent-recipient-of-the-nobel-peace-prize/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“You have some lovely books," she said. "I like the one with the pictures of polar bears." "The books with words too tricky?" She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-elsborg/you-have-some-lovely-books-she-said-i-like-the-one-with-the-pictures/) [Barbara Elsborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-elsborg/) > [Its so cold outside polar bears wont drink coke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-so-cold-outside-polar-bears-wont-drink-coke/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Sylvia Earle > [We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-still-have-10-percent-of-the-sharks-we-still-have-half-of-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Health to the ocean means health for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/health-to-the-ocean-means-health-for-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Evolution is not something to be feared. It's to be celebrated, embraced, and understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/evolution-is-not-something-to-be-feared-it-s-to-be-celebrated/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We are depleting this immense diversity and abundance of life, and it matters tremendously for the future of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-are-depleting-this-immense-diversity-and-abundance-of-life-and-it/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [My mother was known as the 'bird lady' of the neighborhood. Anything injured, or any unusual creature somebody found, they would always come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-mother-was-known-as-the-bird-lady-of-the-neighborhood-anything/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [There is this sweet spot in time when we have an opportunity to stop killing sharks and tunas and swordfish and other wildlife in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-is-this-sweet-spot-in-time-when-we-have-an-opportunity-to-stop/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've always said, 'Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-always-said-underwater-or-on-top-men-and-women-are-compatible/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [With respect to the ocean being the heart of our blue planet: We are often asked, 'How much protection is enough?' We can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/with-respect-to-the-ocean-being-the-heart-of-our-blue-planet-we-are/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The ocean seemed like a sea of Eden. But now we are facing paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-seemed-like-a-sea-of-eden-but-now-we-are-facing-paradise/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented levels, for some of us, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-i-arrived-on-the-planet-there-were-only-two-billion-wildlife-was/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. I wish I could take people along to see what I see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-had-the-joy-of-spending-thousands-of-hours-under-the-sea-i-wish/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The observations that have developed over the years have given us perspective about where we fit in. We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-observations-that-have-developed-over-the-years-have-given-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) [Explore all 211 Sylvia Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## More Arctic quotes > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The Earth's population will be culled from today's 6.6 billion to as few as 500 million, with most of the survivors living in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/the-earth-s-population-will-be-culled-from-today-s-6-6-billion-to-as/) [James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/) > [The undisturbed coastal plain is home to a wide variety of plants and animals and is the only wilderness sanctuary in North America that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/the-undisturbed-coastal-plain-is-home-to-a-wide-variety-of-plants-and/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [I did a show in this tiny town called Longyearbyen. We went snowmobiling around Svalbard and saw Arctic foxes, snow bunting, polar bear footprints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-did-a-show-in-this-tiny-town-called-longyearbyen-we-went/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [If the world were an orange with 18 segments meeting at the top (the North Pole), roughly 8 of them would be in Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/if-the-world-were-an-orange-with-18-segments-meeting-at-the-top-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [A good salesman, as the old (and politically incorrect) saying goes, can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. It's a cliché, but there's some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-kaufman/a-good-salesman-as-the-old-and-politically-incorrect-saying-goes-can/) [Josh Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-kaufman/) > [It came to me that hell would not be fire and smoke after all but arctic, everything white and frigid. Hell would be not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/it-came-to-me-that-hell-would-not-be-fire-and-smoke-after-all-but/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [The Arctic is the planet's air conditioner and it's starting to break down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eban-goodstein/the-arctic-is-the-planet-s-air-conditioner-and-it-s-starting-to-break/) [Eban Goodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eban-goodstein/) > [Filming for 'MasterChef' with the Royal Marine Commandos in the Arctic was the only time I've felt like planet Earth was trying to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-wallace/filming-for-masterchef-with-the-royal-marine-commandos-in-the-arctic/) [Gregg Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-wallace/) > [I listen to 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Stereophonics, Arctic Monkeys; also the musical Oliver - I can sing every tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-rooney/i-listen-to-50-cent-jay-z-stereophonics-arctic-monkeys-also-the/) [Wayne Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-rooney/) > [The Arctic is going to be an area of intense interest. Russia has the longest coastline in the world with the Arctic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-arctic-is-going-to-be-an-area-of-intense-interest-russia-has-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Before we left, Grandmother talked a lot about the arctic night we would fly through. 'Isn't it a mystical word, "arctic"? Pure and quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/before-we-left-grandmother-talked-a-lot-about-the-arctic-night-we/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [We can look forward to the day when the free flow of trade, from the southern reaches of Tierra del Fuego to the northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-can-look-forward-to-the-day-when-the-free-flow-of-trade-from-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [By the end of this century, climate change will reduce the human population to a few breeding pairs surviving near the Arctic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/by-the-end-of-this-century-climate-change-will-reduce-the-human/) [James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/) > [“We have even broken the shackles of the Earth’s gravity. In our newly globalised world we can use that technology to give us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-marshall/we-have-even-broken-the-shackles-of-the-earth-s-gravity-in-our-newly/) [Tim Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-marshall/) [Browse all 232 Arctic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arctic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive - and thrive. 'Harsh' to us is 'home' for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible literally melts away.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sylvia Earle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhospitable-place-but-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arctic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhospitable-place-but-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/sylvia-earle-1756_arctic_for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhos_2385920.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For humans, the Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar…” — Sylvia Earle", "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": "Sylvia Earle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For humans, the Arctic is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhospitable-place-but-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/for-humans-the-arctic-is-a-harshly-inhospitable-place-but-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 } } ] } ```