--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you think about the real cost of…" description: "\"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 our horror, we'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg" --- # When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap… ![“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 our horror, we've realized that this has the potential for burning brightly and then snuffing out.” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg) > “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 our horror, we've realized that this has the potential for burning brightly and then snuffing out.” [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. Cheap energy fuels prosperity but risks a sudden, destructive collapse. **In simple terms:** Low‑cost energy can cause a rapid, harmful shutdown. Key Takeaway Balance energy use. Themes environment energy risk Mood concerned urgent Type environmental analytical When to use this quote - industrial planning - climate action - resource management Key Concepts Sustainability energy policy Questions to Reflect On - How can we mitigate energy risks? - What sustainable options exist? A Different Perspective May ignore renewable alternatives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) [Burning Brightly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-brightly-1167936/) [Cheap Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-energy-2027142/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Driven Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven-prosperity-2027143/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) [Prosperity Unprecedented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity-unprecedented-2027144/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Realized Potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-potential-1943064/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Unprecedented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unprecedented/) ## Related quotes > [“While it is easy to become paralyzed by the world's suffering and the inequalities created by corruption and greed, we actually hold immense power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hatmaker/while-it-is-easy-to-become-paralyzed-by-the-world-s-suffering-and-the/) [Jen Hatmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hatmaker/) > [Some folks never try to grow beyond lives that have not realized that potential. And as long as they don't regret that, that's fine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-evoy/some-folks-never-try-to-grow-beyond-lives-that-have-not-realized-that/) [Ken Evoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-evoy/) > [If America chooses, we can develop our own energy resources and not be pressured into wars in the Middle East. Cheap energy will restore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/if-america-chooses-we-can-develop-our-own-energy-resources-and-not-be/) [Kathleen Troia McFarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/) > [If you go to the U.S., you've got a huge market, cheap energy, good skills, and pensions are a sensible cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/if-you-go-to-the-u-s-you-ve-got-a-huge-market-cheap-energy-good/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [As the UFC was getting bigger and bigger, I realized it was a potential career there, and that's what I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bisping/as-the-ufc-was-getting-bigger-and-bigger-i-realized-it-was-a/) [Michael Bisping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bisping/) > [It was all kind of a whirlwind at the beginning. I didn't really realize that I had a special gift from God. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-felix/it-was-all-kind-of-a-whirlwind-at-the-beginning-i-didn-t-really/) [Allyson Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-felix/) > [A revolution that does not produce a new space has not realized its full potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-lefebvre/a-revolution-that-does-not-produce-a-new-space-has-not-realized-its/) [Henri Lefebvre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-lefebvre/) > [“One of the great ironies of climate change activism today is that many of the movement’s most vocal proponents are also horrified by global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/one-of-the-great-ironies-of-climate-change-activism-today-is-that/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [Today, we're very dependent on cheap energy. We just take it for granted - all the things you have in the house, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/today-we-re-very-dependent-on-cheap-energy-we-just-take-it-for/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“Never apologize for burning too brightly or collapsing into yourself every night. That is how galaxies are made.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-apologize-for-burning-too-brightly-or-collapsing-into-yourself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep the fire of your testimony of the restored gospel and your witness of our Redeemer burning so brightly that our children can warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/keep-the-fire-of-your-testimony-of-the-restored-gospel-and-your/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [I was so focused and so driven, there was this fire inside of me that was burning so brightly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-shewfelt/i-was-so-focused-and-so-driven-there-was-this-fire-inside-of-me-that/) [Kyle Shewfelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-shewfelt/) > [It was the late Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar who, by founding the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, made it possible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/it-was-the-late-dr-mahendra-lal-sircar-who-by-founding-the-indian/) [C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/) > [“Passion lights the flame; dedication keeps the flame burning brightly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-a-white/passion-lights-the-flame-dedication-keeps-the-flame-burning-brightly/) [Jeffrey A. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-a-white/) > [“Keep your passions burning brightly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/keep-your-passions-burning-brightly/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) ## 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 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/) > [It's mainly the high-end luxury market now that drives much of the fishing in the sea. It's not feeding the starving millions. It's feeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/it-s-mainly-the-high-end-luxury-market-now-that-drives-much-of-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) [Explore all 211 Sylvia Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## More Burning quotes > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-entire-cosmos-is-one-vast-burning-bush-permeated-by-the-fire-of/) [Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/) > [Two beautiful women crashing and burning for the sake of the Women's Championship!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/two-beautiful-women-crashing-and-burning-for-the-sake-of-the-women-s/) [Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/) > [He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-lowered-the-window-and-looked-out-at-the-rising-sun-there-was-a/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Catholicity seized on man... and the mystics, transcending all, taught him to ascend on high with the wings of contemplation the Ladder of Jacob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-donoso-cortes/catholicity-seized-on-man-and-the-mystics-transcending-all-taught-him/) [Juan Donoso Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-donoso-cortes/) > [Some fighters know when to stop on their own and go on to something else, and then some fighters have nothing to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hagler/some-fighters-know-when-to-stop-on-their-own-and-go-on-to-something/) [Marvin Hagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hagler/) > [Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-staring-too-long-into-the-burning-sun-and-the-relief-of/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [All philanthropy ... is only a savory fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. 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He could not hear Jem go, not anymore; he did not want to know the moment when he left and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/will-closed-his-eyes-he-could-not-hear-jem-go-not-anymore-he-did-not/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) [Browse all 1,668 Burning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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 our horror, we've realized that this has the potential for burning brightly and then snuffing out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sylvia Earle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Burning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sylvia-earle-1756_burning_when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so_192118.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented…” — 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": "When you think about the real...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/#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 } } ] } ```