Bill McKibben speaks at a "Stop the Keystone XL" pipeline rally, outside a State Department hearing at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, on Oct. 7, 2011. (Wikimedia Commons/chesapeakeclimate, CC BY SA 2.0)
by John Dear
In this week's episode of "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," John Dear talks with bestselling author, environmental activist and organizer Bill McKibben about catastrophic climate change and how to respond by joining movements, taking to the streets and building political will.
McKibben is one of the world's leading environmental activists and founder of 350.org, a global grassroots climate campaign which has organized protests for climate action on every continent, including Antarctica. He played a leading role in launching opposition to big oil pipeline projects like Keystone XL, and the fossil fuel divestment campaign, which has become one of the biggest anti-corporate campaigns in history, with endowments worth more than $40 trillion stepping back from oil, gas and coal.
"I started life as a writer, I still am a writer," McKibben said. "But to win the fight, we're going to have to take on money and power. That's why we have to organize, and build a movement to change hearts and minds and change power. We keep our humor, our love for each other and our eyes fixed on the future, and on we go!"
The End of Nature, McKibben's 1989 book, is regarded as the first book on climate change intended for a general audience; it has been published in 24 languages. He has since written 20 books, and his work appears in publications including The New Yorker and Rolling Stone.
A professor at Middlebury College and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has won the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Right Livelihood Award from the Swedish Parliament, and has honorary degrees from 20 colleges and universities.
Recently, McKibben founded Third Act, a global grassroots movement of people over the age of 60, which has taken off. During the podcast, he announced the upcoming global day of action for solar power, "Sun Day," on Sept. 21.
"The sun is willing to provide us with all the power we could ever use, but that great gift is a threat to powerful interests," he said.
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