David R. Brower Quotes

David R. Brower

American Environmentalist

Born: Jul 1, 1912

Died: Nov 5, 2000

Energy People Think Will Work You

Related authors: Aldo Leopold Bill McKibben Garrett Hardin John Muir Joseph Wood Krutch Luther Burbank Paul Hawken Roger Tory Peterson

We are at the edge of an abyss and we're close to being irrevocably lost. David R. Brower

Abyss Edge Lost Close Being Irrevocably

There are many different kinds of radioactive waste and each has its own half-life so, just to be on the safe side and to simplify matters, I base my calculations on the worst one and that's plutonium. David R. Brower

Matters Own Different Kinds Side Worst Kinds Plutonium Simplify Calculations Safe Half-Life Just Different Many Radioactive Each Base Waste

I began working with the John Muir Institute and then started helping found Friends of the Earth organizations here and there in other countries. That pretty well brings us up to the present. David R. Brower

There is no place where we can safely store worn-out reactors or their garbage. No place! David R. Brower

Environmental Garbage Worn-Out Safely Where Store Place

We tried burying the waste at sea and the concrete cannisters that held it cracked open. David R. Brower

Tried Open Concrete Cracked Burying Held Sea Waste

Yet another proposal would have us rocket the waste into the sun, but, as you're probably aware, about one in ten of our space shots doesn't quite make it out of the earth's gravitational field. 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

Garbage Think Our Immediate Solution Generations Perhaps Most Poll Next Requires Use Descendants Radioactive Ridiculous Keep Suggestion

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

Today Good Political Invent Think Thinking Our System Out About Good Records Records Except Pointed Were Very Did Political System Earlier

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

Future Other Project Risk Like Make Accept Dollar Expected Order Should Manufacturers Lethal Now Wastes Presented

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

You People Problem Build Perfect Equipment Still Even

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

Out Runs Some Guy He Wrong Instruction Sheet Bed His Override Gets Decide Wants Happens Afternoon Reason Who

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

Will Energy Our Worried Unlimited Extremely Say Though Fusion Record Put True Score Hands Poor Then Amount

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

Me Word Realistic Bad Anyone Who Uses Loaded

What's even more unsettling is the way these people hide what they're doing from the public. They strip the labels off miracle wheat when they ship it, for instance, and say, 'Watch out. Don't plant too much and don't depend on it too much.' David R. Brower

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

Vote Thousand Ten Perhaps Realize Us Each Million

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