David R. Brower Quotes

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David R. Brower

Profession : Environmentalist

Birth : July 1, 1912

Apollo 13, as you may remember, gave us a reactor that is bubbling away right now somewhere in the Pacific. It's supposed to be bubbling away on the moon, but it's in the Pacific Ocean instead.

David R. Brower

Perhaps most ridiculous of all is the suggestion that we 'keep' our radioactive garbage for the use of our descendants. This 'solution', I think, requires an immediate poll of the next 20,000 generations.

David R. Brower

Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of exposing the next 20,000 generations to this lethal waste?

David R. Brower

I don't think we have very good records about what they were thinking except, as I pointed out earlier today, that they did invent our political system.

David R. Brower

The risk presented by these lethal wastes is like no other risk, and we should not be expected to accept it or to project it into the future in order for manufacturers and utilities to make a dollar killing now.

David R. Brower

Even if you build the perfect reactor, you're still saddled with a people problem and an equipment problem.

David R. Brower

What happens when the guy who runs the reactor gets out of bed wrong or decides, for some reason, that he wants to override his instruction sheet some afternoon?

David R. Brower

Once we open the door to the plutonium economy, we expose ourselves to absolutely terrible, horrifying risks from these people.

David R. Brower

I will say this, - though: If it is true that fusion will put unlimited amounts of energy into our hands, then I'm worried. Our record on this score is extremely poor.

David R. Brower

Understanding how DNA transmits all it knows about cancer, physics, dreaming and love will keep man searching for some time.

David R. Brower

It is absolutely imperative that we protect, preserve and pass on this genetic heritage for man and every other living thing in as good a condition as we received it.

David R. Brower

They simply don't know that much about what they're doing. There isn't enough control. There isn't enough capability in ordinary people to tinker with such a complicated piece of machinery.

David R. Brower

It's like turning the space program over to the Long Island Railroad.

David R. Brower

'Realistic' is a loaded word for me. Anyone who uses the word 'realistic' is all bad.

David R. Brower

When people say, 'You're not being realistic,' they're just trying to tag some thoughts that they can't otherwise handle.

David R. Brower

I believe that the average guy in the street will give up a great deal, if he really understands the cost of not giving it up. In fact, we may find that, while we're drastically cutting our energy consumption, we're actually raising our standard of living.

David R. Brower

Perhaps we'll realize that each of us has not one vote but ten thousand or a million.

David R. Brower

For how many people do you think might yet stand on this planet before the sun grows cold? That's the responsibility we hold in our hands.

David R. Brower