We are now heading down a centuries-long path toward increasing the productivity of our natural capital - the resource systems upon which we depend to live - instead of our human capital.
Paul HawkenRead
We have an economy that tells us it is cheaper to destroy earth in real time rather than renew, restore, and sustain it. You can print money to bail out a bank but you can't print life to bail out a planet.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of valuing and preserving our planet over short-term economic gains.
Paul Hawken's quote emphasizes the dissonance between economic practices that prioritize immediate profit through resource depletion and the necessity of sustainable practices that nurture our environment. It illustrates the idea that while financial resources can be created or manipulated, the natural world, which sustains life, cannot be replicated or restored in the same manner, urging us to consider long-term ecological health over ephemeral financial rewards.
Themes
EconomyEnvironmentSustainabilityRestorationLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a conference on environmental policy, I could use this quote to emphasize the need for sustainable practices.
More from Paul Hawken
All quotes →Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider.
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We can no longer prosper by increasing human productivity. The more we try to do, the more poverty we will create.
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At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product.
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How much harm does a company have to do before we question its right to exist?
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We have the capacity to create a remarkably different economy: one that can restore ecosystems and protect the environment while bringing forth innovation, prosperity, meaningful work, and true security.
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