Bill McKibben

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. What if the energy transition is arriving faster than anyone imagined? And what if paying attention to the smallest things can change how we live? This Earth Day, Writer’s Voice revisits our interview with Bill McKibben about Here Comes the Sun , a bracing and hopeful argument that cheap, abundant solar power could reshape geopolitics, weaken authoritarianism, and help us meet the climate emergency. “About five years ago, we crossed some invisible line where it became cheaper to generate power from the sun and the wind than from burning coal and gas and oil.” Then, Anne Fadiman turns our attention from planetary systems to intimate acts of noticing. In her acclaimed essay collection Frog , she finds wonder and moral inquiry in a neglected pet frog, the burden of literary inheritance, pronouns, grammar, and other seemingly modest subjects that open into large human questions — along with a good dose of humor. “I’m interested in writing about things that other people haven’t noticed.” Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack . Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast . Love good coffee? Want to support Writer’s Voice? Head on over to Larry’s Coffee using this LINK , and you’ll earn $30 for the show! You Might Also Like: Bill McKibben, Here Comes The Sun (full interview) , Margaret Renkl, The Comfort of Crows Tags: Bill McKibben, Anne Fadiman, Here Comes the Sun, Frog essays, solar power, climate solutions, renewable energy, they/them pronounce, literary essays, Writer’s Voice podcast, climate politics, energy transition, literature podcast, interviews with writers, book author interviews, author interviews, Segment One: Bill McKibben, HERE COMES THE SUN <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="525" height="793" src="https://www.writersvoice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/herecomesthesun-525x793.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-58322" style="width:290px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.wr

Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform. What if the energy transition is arriving faster than anyone imagined? And what if paying attention to the smallest things can change how we live? This Earth Day, Writer’s Voice revisits our interview with Bill McKibben about Here Comes the Sun , a bracing and hopeful argument that cheap, abundant solar power could reshape geopolitics, weaken authoritarianism, and help us meet the climate emergency. “About five years ago, we crossed some invisible line where it became cheaper to generate power from the sun and the wind than from burning coal and gas and oil.” Then, Anne Fadiman turns our attention from planetary systems to intimate acts of noticing. In her acclaimed essay collection Frog , she finds wonder and moral inquiry in a neglected pet frog, the burden of literary inheritance, pronouns, grammar, and other seemingly modest subjects that open into large human questions — along with a good dose of humor. “I’m interested in writing about things that other people haven’t noticed.” Follow us on Bluesky @writersvoice.bsky.social and subscribe to our Substack . Or find us on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast . Love good coffee? Want to support Writer’s Voice? Head on over to Larry’s Coffee using this LINK , and you’ll earn $30 for the show! You Might Also Like: Bill McKibben, Here Comes The Sun (full interview) , Margaret Renkl, The Comfort of Crows Tags: Bill McKibben, Anne Fadiman, Here Comes the Sun, Frog essays, solar power, climate solutions, renewable energy, they/them pronounce, literary essays, Writer’s Voice podcast, climate politics, energy transition, literature podcast, interviews with writers, book author interviews, author interviews, Segment One: Bill McKibben, HERE COMES THE SUN <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="525" height="793" src="https://www.writersvoice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/herecomesthesun-525x793.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-58322" style="width:290px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.wr

Specifically for Seniors • Guest: Bill McKibben About the GuestBill McKibben is a journalist, author of 20+ books, and professor at Middlebury College. He wrote the first major book on climate change in the 1980s and founded 350.org — the world's first global grassroots climate campaign — and Third Act, an organization mobilizing Americans over 60 on climate and democracy. Episode Summary McKibben joins host Dr. Larry Barsh to argue that cheap solar and wind power represent the most powerful climate tool humanity has ever had — and that older Americans are uniquely positioned to lead the fight. The Solar Revolution. About five years ago, solar and wind became cheaper than fossil fuels. China now installs 3 gigawatts of solar daily — one coal plant's worth every eight hours. California regularly generates 100%+ of its electricity from renewables, with batteries storing the surplus. Every tenth of a degree of warming we prevent matters: each pushes 100 million people from safe to dangerous climate zones. Sunlight vs. Oil. "Sunlight travels 93 million miles to reach Earth — none of them through the Strait of Hormuz." Oil is the truly intermittent energy source. A handful of drones can shut down global supply. Nobody can embargo the sun. Batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are recyclable. The total minerals needed for the renewable battery revolution through mid-century are less in volume than one year's global coal mining. Lithium lasts 25 years and can be reused. Coal gets burned once and requires constant replacement. Health Costs. Fossil fuels cause roughly 9 million deaths per year worldwide — 1 in 5 deaths globally. Canada's 2023 wildfires, driven by climate change, caused 80,000 US deaths from smoke inhalation alone. Home insurance costs are skyrocketing as climate risk makes underwriting nearly impossible. Third Act & Senior Power. With 120,000 members nationwide, Third Act is proving seniors are a political force. Recent wins: legalized plug-in balcony solar in Utah, Virginia, and Maine; won a clean-energy majority on Arizona's Salt River Project board (serving 2M people); launched Gray PAC and phone banks for key elections. The "Rocking Chair Rebellion" shut down big-bank branches in 100 cities to protest fossil fuel financing. America's Self-Sabotage. The first solar cell was invented at Bell Labs in 1956. The first industrial wind turbine was built in Vermont in 1943. These American technologies have been handed to China while the US rolls back clean energy policy — what McKibben calls "economic national self-sabotage" without precedent. Legacy. "We're in danger of being the first generation that left the world a lot worse off than we found it." Young people aren't just anxious about climate — they're anxious about being abandoned. McKibben's call: use the time, skills, and political power that come with age to organize, vote, and fight. Key Quotes "There is no known way to stop old people from voting. We come preloaded with real power."— Bill McKibben "Solar energy takes power away from billionaires. That makes it ipso facto good."— Bill McKibben "Sunlight travels 93 million miles to reach Earth — none of them through the Strait of Hormuz."— Bill McKibben" There is no known way to stop old people from voting. We come preloaded with real power."— Bill McKibben "We live in a world where billionaires have too much power. Things that take power and money away from billionaires are ipso facto good — and solar energy is one of them."— Bill McKibben "We're in danger of being the first generation that left the world a lot worse off than we found it — which we do not want to do."— Bill McKibben Resource thirdact.org 350.org Book: Here Comes the Sun by Bill McKibbenSpecifically for Seniors Podcast • Follow or subscribe wherever you listen

Bill McKibben began our conversation with a sentence most leaders would never volunteer: “I’ve been in some ways a manifest failure.” It was destabilizing to hear that from someone who has spent four decades doing everything in his power to address climate change. Not because I believe he failed. But because the sentence refuses comfort. It refuses the tidy arc in which history vindicates the early truth-tellers and we all feel relieved. Note: this is my reflection on a live interview with Bill McKibben and Blair Palese . For the firsthand conversation , please listen or watch the full interview on Substack , or find the audio on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (links below). This isn’t a transcript — it is how I am holding the ideas in the context of my research and work. This conversation builds on themes I raised earlier in What would you ask Bill McKibben? and in relation to Bill’s latest book Here Comes the Sun (2025), which reframes the climate moment now that technological solutions exist. The warnings were accurate. The science was right. The projections are materializing. And still. For decades, the climate fight operated under one central constraint: fossil fuels were known and cheap while renewables were uncertain and expensive. Most of the work was defensive — carbon taxes, green building standards, divestment, and otherwise raising the cost of destruction in indirect ways. Something has shifted. Solar and wind are now cheaper than fossil alternatives in most markets. Batteries scale. Texas installs renewables at a pace that defies ideology. Australia will soon give residents free electricity because solar has proliferated so rapidly. The solutions exist. In preparing for this conversation, Blair and I kept returning to what feels like a post-solutions phase. The moral terrain has changed. When solutions don’t exist, delay is unfortunate. When solutions do exist, delay is something else. It is tragic. Heartbreaking. Delay is no longer about technological immaturity. It is about time. And time, in this case, is melting ice, burning forests, rising seas, collapsing reefs, communities pushed into unlivable heat. Bill said something that will not leave me: “We’re going to win this fight. Whether we win it in time is a very different question.” That distinction is devastating. It is showing up with extra blood after the patient bleeds out. It is finding the epinephrine after your loved one has gone into shock. It is the nightmare where you run through molasses and arrive one second too late. We may win the economics and still lose the glaciers.We may win the argument and still lose whole cultures.We may build the future and still witness collapse. When he called himself a “manifest failure,” I heard something more precise. It is not the grief of defeat. It is the grief of avoidable, devastating delay. The tax of moral aliveness When I asked about the emotional cost of this work, Bill did not describe what I think of as burnout. He described consciousness. “To be morally alive in a world that’s being wounded at this pace is emotionally difficult.” If you are paying attention, it will hurt. We often treat climate grief — and changemaker grief more broadly — as pathology. Something to manage

What if the sun, the same star that’s powered life on Earth for billions of years, could finally free us from the fossil fuel stranglehold that’s choking our future? That’s the question at the heart of this episode’s conversation with legendary climate activist and author Bill McKibben. In his latest book, Here Comes the Sun , McKibben delivers a message that's equal parts urgent and unexpectedly hopeful: after decades of fighting uphill against Big Oil, the economics of energy have fundamentally shifted, despite the rhetoric from vested interests and their bought-and-paid-for politicians. In 2024, more than 90% of new electricity generation globally came from renewable sources. Solar and wind aren’t “alternative" energy anymore, say McKibben, they are the future, and they're already cheaper, cleaner, and increasingly more accessible than fossil fuels. But the window to capitalize on this epochal shift is narrow, and the fossil fuel industry knows it, which is why they’ve purchased political power to protect their dying business model. McKibben doesn’t sugarcoat the climate crisis—he knows too much about the science for that. We've already locked in significant warming, and we won't stop short of 2 degrees Celsius. But he argues passionately that we're in a race to shave off every tenth of a degree we can, because each one represents 100 million people pushed out of livable climate zones. My conversation with McKibben explores practical, real-world solutions that are scalable right now: heat pumps, induction cooktops, electric vehicles, and even balcony solar panels that renters can plug directly into their walls. From California’s grid running on over 100% renewable energy during peak hours to China’s EV revolution eating the world’s lunch while America’s political leaders serve it up on a silver platter, McKibben paints a picture of a world in transition. This isn’t a conversation about distant doom or abstract policy—it’s about the tangible, human-scale changes we can make right now, and the massive structural shifts already underway that prove rapid transformation is possible. McKibben’s clear-eyed honesty about where we are, combined with his grounded optimism (though he says he isn’t an optimist) about what we can still do, offers a roadmap illuminated by the sun itself. The question isn’t whether the technology exists to save ourselves. It does. The question is whether we’ll choose to use it before it's too late. If you've ever felt paralyzed by the scale of the climate crisis, this episode will remind you that, even as we have backed ourselves into a corner, we have a brightly lit, if narrow, path out. Takeaways: Bill McKibben highlights the shift in energy economics where renewable sources are now cheaper than fossil fuels, marking a pivotal moment for climate action. The podcast emphasizes our deep connection to the sun, both biologically and emotionally, making renewable energy not just feasible but a natural choice for humanity. McKibben’s journey through climate activism illustrates how grassroots movements can reshape global agreements like the Paris Accord, showcasing the power of collective action. The conversation underscores that transitioning to solar and wind energy is not merely an alternative but the primary path forward for sustainable living. McKibben argues that while the climate crisis poses serious threats, there are still viable paths to mitigate its impacts through immediate, aggressive adoption of renewable energy. Resources: <a href="https://billmckibben.c

One of the very first books for the general public about climate change was written and published by Bill McKibben in 1989. In The End of Nature , Bill wrote that continuing to burn fossil fuels would “lead us, if not straight to hell, then straight to a place with a similar temperature.” Bill was right. The planet is hotter. Climate disasters are everywhere. You’d think he’d be more upset now than ever. But in his latest book, Here Comes the Sun , Bill sounds optimistic. In it he writes “For the first time, I can see a path forward. A path lit by the sun.” Host Nate Hegyi talks to journalist and activist Bill McKibben, about how he’s changed, how he’s stayed the same, and what his story tells us about the state of the climate crisis. Featuring Bill McKibben Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Grab a ticket for our 10 year anniversary live show here! Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In . Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook . LINKS Listen to Studs Terkel’s 1989 interview with Bill about his first book, The End of Nature . Read Bill’s latest book, Here Comes the Sun . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Climate Positive, Gil Jenkins speaks with Bill McKibben: author, educator, and one of the most acclaimed environmental voices of our time. His latest book, Here Comes the Sun , traces the rise of abundant, inexpensive solar power and argues that if we keep accelerating, we have a real chance not only to limit climate damage, but also to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds. We dig into the data, the politics, and the people driving the global shift to solar, and Bill also opens up about the role of faith in his work and how he views the environmental movement’s trajectory today. Links: Bill McKibben Website Purchase Bill’s Book - Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization Book Excerpt: 4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment – The New Yorker , July 9, 2025 Substack: The Crucial Years - Bill’s ongoing essays on climate, energy, and activism Sun Day Website Third Act Website Article: Sunday Was Also Sun Day - The New York Times , Sept. 20, 2025 Episode recorded on October 20, 2025 About Bill: Bill McKibben is founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has appeared in 24 languages. He’s gone on to write 20 books, and his work appears regularly in periodicals from the New Yorker to Rolling Stone. He serves as the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he has won the Gandhi Peace Prize as well as honorary degrees from 20 colleges and universities. He was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes called the alternative Nobel, in the Swedish Parliament. Foreign Policy named him to its inaugural list of the world’s 100 most important global thinkers. McKibben helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, which has organized protests on every continent, including Antarctica, for climate action. He played a leading role in launching the opposition to big oil pipeline projects like Keystone XL, and the fossil fuel divestment campaign, which has become the biggest anti-corporate campaign in history, with endowments worth more than $40 trillion stepping back from oil, gas and coal. He stepped down as board chair of 350 in 2015, and left the board and stepped down from his volunteer role as senior adviser in 2020, accepting emeritus status. He lives in the mountains above Lake Champlain with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, where he spends as much time as possible outdoors. In 2014, biologists credited his career by naming a new species of woodland gnat—Megophthalmidia mckibbeni–in his honor. Book Blurb: From the acclaimed environmentalist, a call to harness the power of the sun and rewrite our scientific, economic, and political future. Our climate, and our democracy, are melting down. But Bill McKibben, one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis, insists the moment is also full of possibility. Energy from the sun and wind is suddenly the cheapest power on the planet and growing faster than any energy source in history—if we can keep accelerating the pace, we have a chance. Here Comes the Sun tells the story of the sudden spike in power from the sun and wind—and the desperate fight of the fossil fuel industry and their

Send us Fan Mail You may have read the news stories: in 2025 renewables ⚡️🌞 overtook coal as the world's #1 energy source, for the first time ever. This is clearly good news, but how good? 🤨 And why is it happening and what does it mean for the future of climate and life on our home planet? 🌏 If anyone knows, it's probably Bill McKibben. As co-founder of 350.org , founder of Third Act , creator of Sun Day and author of over a dozen books on climate and the environment including his latest, Here Comes the Sun , Bill is the Godfather of the modern movement and I was lucky to catch up with him to talk about: ⚡️ The rapid shift to renewables and why it's happening 🌏 The impact it's having, on the environment, people and global power politics 😮 What it takes to start a movement as successful as 350.org 👏 Why you should really consider joining something existing rather than start something new ⛷️ How he stays positive while working for 50 years at the forefront of the climate movement It's a super-special episode because there are not many Bill McKibben's in the world and because it's the tenth episode of Goodtrepreneur. 🎉 Huuuge thanks for your time, Bill McKibben and I hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as I did. We gave AI a listen and here's what it said... Smoke, floods and heat waves aren’t warnings anymore; they’re the weather. We invited Bill McKibben to help make sense of the moment we’re in and why the energy story has flipped. When solar and wind undercut coal, oil and gas on cost, the force of economic gravity shifts. That simple fact can cut emissions, clean the air that kills millions, and loosen the grip of resource politics that has shaped wars and regimes for a century. Bill takes us inside the numbers that matter: the remaining safe carbon budget, the fossil reserves still on corporate books, and the hard truth that plans to burn it all end the story in a hostile climate. From there, we dive into pace and proof. China is installing roughly three gigawatts of renewables daily, reshaping global industry and making mega-cities noticeably quieter. Australia shows how fast rooftops can change the grid from the bottom up. We unpack land use myths, from wind’s minimal footprint to agrovoltaics where shade boosts yields and resilience. The throughline: clean tech isn’t just cleaner, it’s better. EVs are simpler machines, easier to maintain, and far more efficient at turning energy into motion. None of this erases the need for justice. Communities built around mines and wells deserve real options. We talk retraining oilfield workers into wind technicians, funding pensions, and building local supply chains that keep value in-region. We also get practical about movement strategy, from 350.org’s global actions to Third Act’s elder power and the “Sundays” mobilisation that turns optimism into a public ritual. If you’re wondering where to start, Bill’s advice is clear: don’t act alone. Join local groups, back parties willing to move fast, and consider hands-on careers—especially becoming an electrician—as the world rewires. Ready to trade smoke for sunshine? Follow, share and leave a review so more people can find the show—then tell us what you’ll electrify first. Goodtrepreneur is the podcast about good people with good ideas for a better world. Please 👀 follow, 👂listen, 🌟 rate and share 📢 to help spread the word and deliver on our mission to inspire and enable more people to create more world changing ideas - and succeed - more often. Learn more at goodtrepreneur.co

Bill McKibben joins The Way Forward to explore the rapid rise of solar energy and China’s commanding role in the clean energy economy. Drawing from his latest book Here Comes the Sun , McKibben shares how the solar revolution is reshaping global dynamics — from the shift away from fossil fuels to the acceleration of decentralized power — and why local action still holds the key to a regenerative future. In this episode of The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations , environmental leader Bill McKibben reveals the remarkable—and largely untold—story behind the global solar energy boom. Drawing from his new book Here Comes the Sun , McKibben explains how solar has moved from the margins to become the world’s cheapest, fastest-growing energy source, reshaping geopolitics, economics, and the fight for a livable planet. We explore why the transition is accelerating so quickly, how China surged ahead in clean-energy manufacturing, what’s blocking progress in the U.S., and why decentralized energy strengthens both democracy and community resilience. McKibben makes a powerful case that the most impactful climate action isn’t individual—it’s collective organizing to change policy and scale solutions that match the crisis. This is a conversation about speed, possibility, and the decisive decade ahead—and why a sun-powered world is much closer than we think. Bill McKibben—author, journalist, and founder of 350.org and Third Act—is one of the world’s most influential climate voices. His new book, Here Comes the Sun , charts the extraordinary rise of solar power and what it means for the future. Themes Solar is exploding globally—faster than anyone expected. Renewables are now the cheapest energy on Earth. China is dominating clean-energy manufacturing. Batteries and virtual power plants are transforming the grid. Collective action—not individual consumption—is what shifts systems. UPCOMING LIVE EVENT THE CLIMATE CROSSROADS – December 2, Live Online A powerhouse panel with Bill McKibben, Dr. Rupert Read, and Brian McLaren, moderated by Dr. John Izzo as they explore what it will take to move from paralysis to action. Hosted by Elders Action Network, Elders Climate Action, and The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations , this 90-minute event blends moral clarity with practical hope. 🗓 December 2 8–9:30 AM PST | 11–12:30 PM EST | 4–5:30 PM GMT 📍 Hosted by Elders Action Network, Elders Climate Action & The Way Forward Podcast 🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/hNYKg Also visit and register at our Sutra to have an interactive experience with our 3 guests. Climate Crossroads Sutra The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations is hosted by Dr. John Izzo & Alain Gauthier and produced by Jim Burke. 📺 Watch on [YouTube] https:// www.youtube.com/@thewayforwardrc | 🎧 Listen on [Apple Podcasts] podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-way-forward-regenerative-conversations/id1651941803 | 🌍 Connect with us: [Website] https://wayforwardpodcast.com/ 🌿 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors This episode of The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations is made possible through the generous support of Elders Action Network (E

Ugens gæst hos Rune Lykkeberg er den amerikanske forfatter, journalist og aktivist Bill McKibben – en legende inden for både klimabevægelsen og Dagbladet Information. McKibben udgav allerede som sidst i 20’erne bogen The End of Nature (1989), der regnes for den første store bog om klimaforandringer. Med en blanding af indignation, klarsyn og håb viste han dengang, hvordan klimakrisen ikke er noget, der sker langt væk, men noget, der udspringer af vores egen måde at leve på. Siden har han været en uophørlig kraft i klimakampen. Han stiftede organisationen 350.org , som mobiliserede millioner verden over, og senere Third Act , et netværk af ældre amerikanere, der bruger deres økonomiske magt og erfaring til at presse den finansielle sektor væk fra fossile investeringer og mod vedvarende energi. Bill McKibben har altid været kendt for sin mørke realisme – for at skrive om, hvor alvorlig krisen er. Men i sin nye bog Here Comes the Sun vender han blikket mod håbet. Han viser, at solenergi nu er blevet så billig, at vi faktisk står med løsningen på energiproblemet – hvis vi tør handle hurtigt og acceptere kompromiser undervejs. Klimapolitik, siger han, er også socialpolitik, og det er for sent at vente på det perfekte. I en tid, hvor verdens ledere vakler, og hvor pessimismen truer, insisterer Bill McKibben på, at der stadig er en vej frem – gennem fællesskab, tempo og tro på forandring. Han er en af de stemmer, der har været længst i kampen for klimaet, og som stadig kan lære os, hvordan man bevarer håbet, mens man kæmper. ... Bill McKibbens Substack: https://billmckibben.substack.com/

For today’s episode, I’m excited to share a talk from renowned environmentalist and author Bill McKibben. On Tuesday this week, McKibben visited Boulder, CO to discuss current trends in renewable energy adoption as well as his new book, Here Comes the Sun, about the rise of solar and wind energy. Personally, I was not familiar with McKibben’s work before the presentation, which is probably why I was so moved by his erudition on the topic. As someone who has been writing about these issues since the 80’s, McKibben has a remarkable ability to contextualize geopolitics and energy trends to paint a picture of where the country - and the rest of the globe, is headed. For me, the talk both affirmed some of my biggest fears regarding the Trump administration’s aggressive attack on renewable energy projects and research, while also providing a great deal of hope in terms of global renewable energy adoption, innovations, and the potential impact of grassroots campaigns. In this talk, Bill covers The acceleration of global solar energy development and installations, China’s recent, exponential scaling of solar deployment and its impacts, Comparisons between the environmental impact of fossil fuels vs. renewables, How oil execs and the Trump administration are irredeemably setting the U.S. back on energy policy and climate change, The Vatican becoming the first country in the world to go 100% renewable, And why every tenth of degree in global warming attenuation is critical. In this incredibly strange and frightening moment, where the president of the United States has stood in front of the rest of world at the UN assembly, calling climate change a “hoax” when the past ten years are the hottest on record , when natural disasters are happening with increased frequency and intensity across the globe , and when the scientific consensus overwhelmingly supports anthropogenic climate change , it has never been more important to educate ourselves and resolutely move in the direction of the future that we want to create. McKibben is a beacon of hope in these dark times, inspiring us to move towards the light through resilience and collective action in the face of a government abandoning our right to a future. ----- If you liked today’s episode, please share it with someone else you know will enjoy it. Also, like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Purchase Here Comes the Sun from a locally-owned bookstore near you. Thank you to Martin Voelker, Chair of the Jefferson County chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society , for allowing me to share his recording of the event, to Boulder Bookstore for organizing the talk, and Unity Center Boulder<

🔍 Episode Summary Can the sun save civilization? In this episode of Saving the World from Bad Ideas , Mark Lynas sits down with legendary climate author and activist Bill McKibben to take on Bad Idea #22: "Solar can’t power the world." McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and Third Act, makes a powerful case for solar as our best hope to avert climate catastrophe — and explains why a rapid, global energy transformation is not only possible, but already underway. They dive into the economics of solar, the moral urgency of ditching fossil fuels, the false promise of geoengineering, and why the shift to sun and wind can unlock a fairer, more democratic world. Bill’s new book Here Comes the Sun offers both realism and hope — and in this episode, he brings that rare combination to life. 🧠 Topics Discussed ☀️ Why solar energy is the most transformative and hopeful technology of our time 📉 Why fossil fuel addiction is a moral and structural tragedy — not just an economic one 🏭 The deep political resistance to renewables, especially in the U.S. 🚩China's solar supremacy and its global influence via trade networks 🐝 Agrivoltaics: how solar panels can improve yields, pollination, and biodiversity 📦 Rooftop solar, virtual power plants, and why permitting matters 💰 Why oil companies hate renewables: no repeat customers 🧠 What activism must focus on now that clean energy is cheaper than fossil 🌍 The moral and technological failure of solar geoengineering 🙏 Climate, faith, and the spiritual case for solar 🎉 “Sun day”: a nationwide celebration and call to action for clean energy in the U.S. 👨‍🏫 Guest Bio Bill McKibben is an author, environmentalist, and founder of 350.org and Third Act. He wrote the first popular book on climate change ( The End of Nature , 1989) and has spent decades on the front lines of climate activism. His newest book, Here Comes the Sun: The Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization , blends urgent science with hope — and charts a path toward a solar-powered future. Bill teaches at Middlebury College and has been described as “America’s leading environmentalist.” 📚 Recommended Reading & Resources Here Comes the Sun – Bill McKibben The End of Nature – Bill McKibben Sunday.Earth – Join Bill’s solar celebration movement 350.org – Global climate movement Third Act – Organizing older Americans for climate action Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports IEA Reports on China’s solar exports and BYD’s global EV expansion 💬 Quote Highlights “We live on a planet where the cheapest way to make energy is to point a sheet of glass at the sun.” “Every wild natural place will be transformed by climate. The on