--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Environmentalism has become a special…" description: "\"Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable of addressing large, complex, and global problems such as global warming.\" — Ted Nordhaus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg" --- # Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable… ![“Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable of addressing large, complex, and global problems such as global warming.” quote by Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg) > “Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable of addressing large, complex, and global problems such as global warming.” [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Environmentalism focuses on niche issues, lacking capacity for complex global challenges. **In simple terms:** Environmentalism is too narrow. Key Takeaway Broaden scope, integrate systems. Themes environment policy complexity Mood critical analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - climate negotiations - interdisciplinary research - public advocacy Key Concepts systemic thinking global governance Questions to Reflect On - What systemic barriers hinder broad climate action? - How can niche groups collaborate globally? A Different Perspective Specialized activism can drive change; coordination needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Environmentalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalism/) [Global warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-warming/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Special interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-interests/) [Warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warming/) ## Related quotes > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [The world is a complex, interconnected, finite, ecological - social - psychological - economic system. We treat it as if it were not, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/the-world-is-a-complex-interconnected-finite-ecological-social/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [Climate change and energy use are global problems. News Corp is a global company. Our operations affect the environment all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-and-energy-use-are-global-problems-news-corp-is-a/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Technology causes problems as well as solves problems. Nobody has figured out a way to ensure that, as of tomorrow, technology won't create problems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/technology-causes-problems-as-well-as-solves-problems-nobody-has-2/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/no-matter-how-complex-global-problems-may-seem-it-is-we-ourselves-who/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [There's a growing sense among large corporations that to solve global problems like climate change, the responsibility can't fall just on the government. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-daley/there-s-a-growing-sense-among-large-corporations-that-to-solve-global/) [William M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-daley/) > [“Technology causes problems as well as solves problems. Nobody has figured out a way to ensure that, as of tomorrow, technology won't create problems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/technology-causes-problems-as-well-as-solves-problems-nobody-has/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [Look at the structure of the Gates Foundation and this idea that, rather than trying to solve these huge global problems through institutions with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/look-at-the-structure-of-the-gates-foundation-and-this-idea-that/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [“One of the actual biggest global problems is the lack of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-ciocan/one-of-the-actual-biggest-global-problems-is-the-lack-of-love/) Magdalena Ciocan > [A lot of environmental and biological science depends on technology to progress. Partly I'm talking about massive server farms that help people crunch genetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/a-lot-of-environmental-and-biological-science-depends-on-technology/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Hard power makes sense under some circumstances. But there's not a universal solution to global problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/hard-power-makes-sense-under-some-circumstances-but-there-s-not-a-2/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [The United States is prepared really to be engaged in the quest to get people in the world the dignities that they seek today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-united-states-is-prepared-really-to-be-engaged-in-the-quest-to/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Our world is integrated to an unprecedented degree, while the global political awakening is injecting into interstate relations an intense amount of tension, emotion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/our-world-is-integrated-to-an-unprecedented-degree-while-the-global/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Hard power makes sense under some circumstances. But there's not a universal solution to global problems. A major country like the United States has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/hard-power-makes-sense-under-some-circumstances-but-there-s-not-a/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [“In a technological world facing many global problems, everyone needs to have a basic understanding of science. And knowing where we came from and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyken-seagrave/in-a-technological-world-facing-many-global-problems-everyone-needs/) Wyken Seagrave ## More by Ted Nordhaus > [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/) > [Energy is a sector of the economy that has been particularly resistant to innovation. This is precisely the problem. It is why we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/energy-is-a-sector-of-the-economy-that-has-been-particularly/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [We can still cap carbon, but that needn't be at the top of the agenda that we communicate to voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/we-can-still-cap-carbon-but-that-needn-t-be-at-the-top-of-the-agenda/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [It is worth noting that virtually every alternative energy source we have - solar, wind, nuclear, and battery and fuel cell technologies for storage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/it-is-worth-noting-that-virtually-every-alternative-energy-source-we/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [We know that things like energy independence, getting off oil, getting out of the Middle East, and creating jobs and economic development in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/we-know-that-things-like-energy-independence-getting-off-oil-getting/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the electorate became a good deal more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s-and-90s-as-modern/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Environmentalists needed to stop imagining that they were representing a thing called Nature or the Environment, separate from us (e.g. humans) in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalists-needed-to-stop-imagining-that-they-were/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Making big investments to get off oil, making clean energy alternatives widely available and cheap, and creating millions of new jobs in clean energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/making-big-investments-to-get-off-oil-making-clean-energy/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [After a brief couple of years in the late '70s, public funding for clean energy technologies dried up and has been on the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/after-a-brief-couple-of-years-in-the-late-70s-public-funding-for/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [The levels of technology investment in the energy sciences pales compared to the kinds of investment we make in the computer and bio-sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/the-levels-of-technology-investment-in-the-energy-sciences-pales/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [In the months after George W. Bush's reelection, a lot of liberals and environmentalists were ready to take a hard look at their political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/in-the-months-after-george-w-bush-s-reelection-a-lot-of-liberals-and/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Skepticism about the potential to achieve the kinds of breakthroughs we need has been a self-fulfilling prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/skepticism-about-the-potential-to-achieve-the-kinds-of-breakthroughs/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [We don't make the investments we need to make, the sector fails to innovate, and then we conclude that it can't innovate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/we-don-t-make-the-investments-we-need-to-make-the-sector-fails-to/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [The great successes of the modern environmental movement in the '60s and '70s had laid the seeds of their failure in the early years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/the-great-successes-of-the-modern-environmental-movement-in-the-60s/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) [Explore all 15 Ted Nordhaus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) ## 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": "Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable of addressing large, complex, and global problems such as global warming.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ted Nordhaus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalism-has-become-a-special-interest-incapable-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Climate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalism-has-become-a-special-interest-incapable-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/ted-nordhaus-32454_complexes_environmentalism-has-become-a-special-in_1189979.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable of addressing large, complex, and global problems…” — Ted Nordhaus", "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": "Ted Nordhaus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Environmentalism has become a special interest,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalism-has-become-a-special-interest-incapable-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalism-has-become-a-special-interest-incapable-of/#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 } } ] } ```