Bill McKibben has been called “one of the world’s leading environmentalists,” “lion of the climate movement,” and “a living legend in environmental activism.” Among many other accomplishments, he has written the first major general-audiences book on climate change in 1989 (and
The CHANGE in McKibben's focus is welcome because the former focus, to just say "no" to fossil fuel development and transportation projects in one rather important country, the US, reduces global net CO2 emissions very little and at a correspondingly high cost per unit of net CO2 emission avoided. And beyond the economic cost there is the political opportunity costs on not having advocated tor lower cost, more effective ways to reduce net CO2 emissions.
And the change to saying "yes" to investments that permit reductions in net CO2 emissions, although welcome and indeed necessary, is not enough to promote those investments. Nor has he abandoned the high-cost no saying.
“I just spent a day with a guy who did that remarkable development on Samsø Island in Denmark over ten years, which became one of the first fully renewable places on the planet about a decade ago.”
I’d love to know how they have successfully dealt with wind intermittency.
Another great interview. McKibben is one of my heroes. Someone whose prescient wisdom has been born out time and again. Thanks for this!
The CHANGE in McKibben's focus is welcome because the former focus, to just say "no" to fossil fuel development and transportation projects in one rather important country, the US, reduces global net CO2 emissions very little and at a correspondingly high cost per unit of net CO2 emission avoided. And beyond the economic cost there is the political opportunity costs on not having advocated tor lower cost, more effective ways to reduce net CO2 emissions.
And the change to saying "yes" to investments that permit reductions in net CO2 emissions, although welcome and indeed necessary, is not enough to promote those investments. Nor has he abandoned the high-cost no saying.
“I just spent a day with a guy who did that remarkable development on Samsø Island in Denmark over ten years, which became one of the first fully renewable places on the planet about a decade ago.”
I’d love to know how they have successfully dealt with wind intermittency.