--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're going to bake this planet, and be a…" description: "\"We're going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all species, including our own, if we don't find an alternative to carbon-based fuel. That's the #1 ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/van-jones-984_alternatives_we-re-going-to-bake-this-planet-and-be-a_932595.png" --- # We're going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all… ![“We're going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all species, including our own, if we don't find an alternative to carbon-based fuel. That's the #1 problem.” quote by Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/van-jones-984_alternatives_we-re-going-to-bake-this-planet-and-be-a_932595.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/van-jones-984_alternatives_we-re-going-to-bake-this-planet-and-be-a_932595.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/van-jones-984_alternatives_we-re-going-to-bake-this-planet-and-be-a_932595.png) > “We're going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all species, including our own, if we don't find an alternative to carbon-based fuel. That's the #1 problem.” [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human activity threatens all life unless we replace carbon fuels, making climate change the top global crisis. **In simple terms:** We must find new energy or doom all species. Key Takeaway Prioritize sustainable energy now. Themes environment urgency responsibility future generations Mood concerned motivated Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - government policy - business strategy - community activism - education programs Key Concepts climate science energy policy ethics Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives can you support locally? - How can you influence policy? A Different Perspective Technological limits may slow transition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curse/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) ## Related quotes > [Burning carbon-based substances like oil, gas, and especially coal, produces billions of tons of extra carbon dioxide each year. Methane gas from cows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/burning-carbon-based-substances-like-oil-gas-and-especially-coal/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [This going on and on about how terrible a carbon-based economy is, these people are full of crap. They don't know what they're talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/this-going-on-and-on-about-how-terrible-a-carbon-based-economy-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Some might argue that a diamond is the earths hardest carbon based substance. However, I'd challenge that with the resolve, resilience, and tenacity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donavan-nelson-butler-master-sergeant-us-army/some-might-argue-that-a-diamond-is-the-earths-hardest-carbon-based/) [Donavan Nelson Butler, Master Sergeant US Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donavan-nelson-butler-master-sergeant-us-army/) > [I think, in the long run, we have to wean ourselves from a carbon-based economy. We absolutely have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-think-in-the-long-run-we-have-to-wean-ourselves-from-a-carbon-based/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [I am a carbon-based life form. If mixed with water (H2O), my hair may frizzle, my eyes may redden, and my organics may shrivel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-vincent-majestic/i-am-a-carbon-based-life-form-if-mixed-with-water-h2o-my-hair-may/) [L Vincent Majestic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-vincent-majestic/) > [“There’s no doubt about it: more varieties of carbon-based molecules exist than all other kinds of molecules combined.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/there-s-no-doubt-about-it-more-varieties-of-carbon-based-molecules/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We should transition away from carbon-based fuels, but that is not something that you can just flip a switch metaphorically, no pun intended, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/we-should-transition-away-from-carbon-based-fuels-but-that-is-not/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [“Time is an abstract concept created by carbon based life forms to monitor their on going decay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thundercleese/time-is-an-abstract-concept-created-by-carbon-based-life-forms-to/) Thundercleese > [It's better to have a broken CD player that worked once than to never have evolved into a self-aware carbon based lifeform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-benzine/it-s-better-to-have-a-broken-cd-player-that-worked-once-than-to-never/) [Craig Benzine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-benzine/) > [“What do I and a diamond have in common? We are tough, brilliant, and carbon based entities which evolved into something better under immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donavan-nelson-butler-master-sergeant-us-army/what-do-i-and-a-diamond-have-in-common-we-are-tough-brilliant-and/) [Donavan Nelson Butler, Master Sergeant US Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donavan-nelson-butler-master-sergeant-us-army/) > [“At times, Larry accused Elon of being “specieist”: treating certain life forms as inferior just because they were silicon-based rather than carbon-based.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/at-times-larry-accused-elon-of-being-specieist-treating-certain-life/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [“Meatspace still has some advantages for a carbon-based girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/meatspace-still-has-some-advantages-for-a-carbon-based-girl/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“We hang here, inquisitive carbon-based life forms, knowing that every atom of carbon now in our bodies was once in the interior of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hamilton-paterson/we-hang-here-inquisitive-carbon-based-life-forms-knowing-that-every/) [James Hamilton-Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hamilton-paterson/) > [I was very much taken with carbon fibers because they seemed like the perfect medium to explore transport studies in carbon-based systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-dresselhaus/i-was-very-much-taken-with-carbon-fibers-because-they-seemed-like-the/) [Mildred Dresselhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-dresselhaus/) > [“Today, a science fiction writer looking for a futuristic tale of silicon dominance would not pick upon the chemistry of silicon so much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/today-a-science-fiction-writer-looking-for-a-futuristic-tale-of/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) ## More by Van Jones > [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/) > [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ I learned more in those six months \[ in the White House\] than in the prior six years. I don't think that anybody who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-learned-more-in-those-six-months-in-the-white-house-than-in-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs. That means they require more education that a high-school diploma, but less than a four-year degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/most-green-collar-jobs-are-middle-skill-jobs-that-means-they-require/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] is a horrible human being, but he ain't worse than Bull Connor. Fannie Lou loved Bull Connor and beat Bull Connor because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/donald-trump-is-a-horrible-human-being-but-he-ain-t-worse-than-bull/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don't hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don't understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-government-built-the-grid-to-favor-one-industry-over-others-but-i/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Keith Ellison is an organizer's organizer.He's one of the only Muslims in Congress, so you have a big statement there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/keith-ellison-is-an-organizer-s-organizer-he-s-one-of-the-only/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Everybody should be mad but anger only takes you so far. At some point, you'll have outrage fatigue and burn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/everybody-should-be-mad-but-anger-only-takes-you-so-far-at-some-point/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We have to accept that some very toxic stuff was marbled into the Trump phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/we-have-to-accept-that-some-very-toxic-stuff-was-marbled-into-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All the big ideas for getting us onto a lower carbon trajectory involve a lot of people doing a lot of work, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-big-ideas-for-getting-us-onto-a-lower-carbon-trajectory/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm the guy that's trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-the-guy-that-s-trying-to-break-up-that-monopoly-to-introduce-free/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I think that America could not become America until it dealt with the disenfranchisement of women and African Americans in the last century. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-think-that-america-could-not-become-america-until-it-dealt-with-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-learning-and-changing-all-the-time-and-i-expect-to-continue-doing/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) [Explore all 314 Van Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## More Alternatives quotes > [I am very sad that some designers are still using real fur when the fake alternatives are so effective and so easily obtainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-am-very-sad-that-some-designers-are-still-using-real-fur-when-the/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [ \[When asked how it felt to be a female prime minister:\] I don't know: I've never experienced the alternative. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-asked-how-it-felt-to-be-a-female-prime-minister-i-don-t-know-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [If one could have a wish, or an alternative life, I would've liked to have been John Lennon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/if-one-could-have-a-wish-or-an-alternative-life-i-would-ve-liked-to/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. 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