"Break Through" Quotes

"Thinking ecologically depends on prospering economically." (p. 6)

This quote is relevant because it relates to Nye's idea that people's standards of living will fluctuate depending on the economy and what resources are available. If an economy is prosperous, people can focus more on things like green technology, while failing countries can't because they have other concerns.

"Our political goal must be to create a kind of prosperity that moves everyone up Maslow's pyramid as quickly as possible while also achieving our ecological goals." (p. 6)

This idea is based upon the fact that people want to be happy and settled before thinking about problems like the environment. It goes along with Nye's argument that green technology will actually contribute to a growing economy, rather than have the economy grow first and then deal with green technology.

"The challenge for humankind now is not whether we can stop global warming, which is already well under way, but whether we can minimize it, prepare for it, and improve human and nonhuman life while we're at it." (p. 8)

This shows us that we need to focus on creating green technology in order to even have a chance of survival in the future.