On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, acclaimed environmentalist Bill McKibben discusses his new book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization.
McKibben 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 politicians to hold this new power at bay.
McKibben writes: "In 2024, 92.5 percent of all new electricity bought online around the world came from renewables; in the US, the figure was 96 percent. By April 2025, fossil fuel was producing less than half of American electricity for the first time ever. There’s no longer a technical or financial obstacle in the way; we already have the factory capacity, mostly in China, to produce as many solar panels as the climate scientists say we need. In May 2025 came the news that China had used five percent less coal in the first quarter of the year to produce electricity than it had in 2024—despite a surging economy, Chinese emissions were actually dropping."
Guest:
Bill McKibben, environmental activist and author of Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
Resources:
The New Yorker: 4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment
Yale 360: Bill McKibben on Climate Activism in the Age of Trump 2.0
