Bill McKibben on the Power That Could Save the Planet
About this episode
Climate activist Bill McKibben says the climate movement has entered a new era: with the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and CHIPS passed, the task shifts from blocking fossil fuels to building the clean-energy future — the largest implementation challenge the movement has ever faced. He traces his own evolution on economic growth, defends solar and wind as the fastest, cheapest way to end the age of combustion, and confronts the movement's tensions: mining for lithium and cobalt, NIMBYism versus permitting reform, and nuclear power. He also recounts the movement's history, from exposing fossil-fuel deception to divestment campaigns and Third Act organizing of older Americans, and argues for continued pressure on banks, executive action, and the simple discipline of joining groups rather than acting as an isolated individual.