Quotessence
Home / Authors / Annalee Newitz
Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz Quotes

Journalist

Filter quotes by topic

AllThinkingHumansWorldIfsPeopleEarthNaturalYearsEcosystemsEnvironmentAnimalExtinctionFactsMassMass ExtinctionNatural WorldProblemWayCarbonClimate

Famous Annalee Newitz Quotes

“There are definitely recurring themes in humanity's relationship with our environment. The biggest is probably adaptation, because humans are incredibly good at adapting to new environments in relatively short periods of time. The ancestors of Homo sapiens started leaving Africa over one million years ago, moving from warm, tropical climates into the freezing wilderness of Europe and the desert ecosystems of the Middle East.”

YearsHumansMovingHumanityMillionsEnvironmentMiddlePeriodsEuropeYears AgoClimateLeavingWarmEastDesertThemeWildernessAncestorMiddle EastAdaptationOur EnvironmentHomo SapiensEcosystemsAdaptingFreezingTropicalRecurringNew EnvironmentRecurring Themes
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image

“Some time ago we discovered the carbon cycle - a long-term set of chemical reactions that govern climates based on how much carbon is free in the atmosphere. At that point, it became clear that humans were affecting our environments far more profoundly than we realized. By releasing so much carbon and greenhouse gas into the environment, we're making long-term changes to every aspect of the natural world.”

WorldHumansLongTermNaturalClearEnvironmentAspectClimateReactionsAtmosphereLong TermGasCyclesChemicalsCarbonNatural WorldOur EnvironmentGreenhousesGreenhouse GasesChemical ReactionsCarbon Cycle
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image

“I don't know if most people have truly taken on board what this says about our place in the natural world. It doesn't mean that humans are dominating the Earth, ruling over all of nature. In fact, it is a reminder that we are only a tiny part of nature, at the mercy of a system whose operations predate us by billions of years, and will continue billions of years after we're gone.”

PeopleIfsKnowsWorldYearsHumansMeanFactsEarthNaturalGoneTakenMercyBillionsTinyOperationsBoardsRulingRemindersNatural WorldDominating
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image

“My first goal would be to reduce the perturbation in the carbon cycle. That would mean using carbon neutral sources of energy, and changing our agricultural practices to be less disruptive and polluting. I'm not talking about a policy here so much as changing the way our infrastructure works. That's why I'm so fascinated with changing the way we build cities, because they are the most developed forms of physical infrastructure for human habitation.”

WayFirstsHumansMeanWould BeFormEnergyGoalCitiesTalkingPracticePolicySourceCyclesFascinatedCarbonInfrastructureNot TalkingDisruptiveCarbon Cycle
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image

“The fact is that humans have been shaping the genetics of what they eat for thousands of years. Genetic engineering simply speeds up the process that used to take generations. Preventing people from getting things like golden rice or disease-resistant cassava destroys human life, and does not spare the environment in any way.”

PeopleWayYearsHumansDoeHas BeensFactsUsedProcessEnvironmentGenerationsDiseaseSpeedGoldenHuman LifeEngineeringSparesRiceGeneticsPreventingGenetic Engineering
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image

“In fact, the early demographer Thomas Malthus believes that the only way the human population would ever check itself was by running headlong into a disaster, like a pandemic or famine. Sometimes we get so frustrated with the slowness of human political processes that we wish a giant flaming rock would solve the problem for us.”

WayBelieveHumansSometimesFactsProblemRunningPoliticalWishProcessRocksPopulationSolveDisasterChecksGiantsFrustratedFamineSlownessPandemicsHuman PopulationMalthus
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image

“I think that humans are also set up to survive. We're not as small as rats, but we make up for that by being intelligent enough to make our own hiding places and to adapt to new habitats, even if they are changing very quickly. We have an enormous population, and can afford to lose billions of people without suffering very much as a species. Indeed, some would say losing five billion people would be good for the planet - I disagree with them, but can't deny that we would do just fine if there were two billion of us or even one billion.”

PeopleIfsThinkingHumansTwoEnoughWould BeSufferingLosesFivePlanetsFineLosingIntelligentSpeciesPopulationDenyBe GoodBillionsEnormousHidingDisagreeRatsHabitatHiding Place
Author:Annalee Newitz
Create image