"The tragic consequences of 'the American way of life'"

"So we have reached the point in history where we must face up to the tragic consequences of 'the American way of life,' a way of life also lived in other affluent countries, albeit typically with less intensity and ideological conviction. The same qualities that made the United States a great nation -- relentless optimism, commitment to know-how, determination to expand -- have become the enemies of its preservation and, collaterally, the preservation of the rest of humanity. A nation that has expansion running in its blood can barely conceive of contraction, and so the question we well soon be forced to ask is how much of the rest of the world will be sacrificed to prolong the dream of affluence?"

-- Clive Hamilton, Earthmasters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering

"...if the meek are ever going to inherit the Earth then they had better be quick."

-- Clive Hamilton, Earthmasters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering