What It Will Take
By Melissa Everett, Executive Director, SHV
October 2024
Internationally known climate activist Bill McKibben spoke September 17 at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck on “Why 2024 is the Most Important Election in This Geologic Era.” McKibben, a prolific author and journalist, is founder of major organizations such as 350.org (focusing on young people) and Third Act (organizing elders) which have mobilized climate advocacy with unique speed and scale. The high-energy gathering of over 100 people was co-hosted by the Village of Rhinebeck, Third Act and Sustainable Hudson Valley.
McKibben framed the conversation with a reminder of the seriousness of the climate crisis and the tragedies it has already brought, such as the typhoon Hayan in the Philippines which swept 10,000 people into the ocean, and Brazilian rainforest fires twice the scope of last year’s, taking place right now. McKibben has been getting calls from oceanographers reporting on unprecedented rises in ocean temperatures, in some places “the temps that we set our hot tubs to.”
“We are only going to win this thing if we win it fast, if we achieve big changes fast,” McKibben said. “The days of thinking we could solve climate one Tesla at a time are over.” On the hopeful side, he had stories to share: from California, where renewable energy has become the primary power source in the last few years, to Pakistan, where a mysterious 10% drop in electric demand from the grid led to the discovery that people in large numbers had been buying and installing low-cost solar panels to produce their own power – not asking or needing permission.
While that kind of transformative change is driven from many directions, McKibben stressed that the national political choices are dramatic. Retaining control of the White House and Congress would continue the most decisive action to counter climate change that we have yet seen, while loss of that control would feed trends that are already deeply dangerous. He noted that the major technology investments under the Inflation Reduction Act – the factories making batteries, EVs, solar panels and wind turbines – have mostly been established in purple states. “That is a smart political strategy, whether or not it will have enough impact,” he said.
Bill McKibben wrote his first book, the bestselling End of Nature, at age 28. “My theory of change back then was: help people understand the truth and things will change. Now, decades later, I understand that the fight is not about science and truth, it’s about money and power.” Reflecting on the roles of the generations, he shouted out to young people for their moral witness but noted, “Telling young people how much we admire them, or that we wish them well in the battle, is not OK.” With Third Act growing in almost every state in the US, he called on seniors to use their impact, income and life experience to help tackle the most important issue before us.
The forum was part of Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week+, a 2-week extravaganza of action-oriented education coordinated by Sustainable Hudson Valley with the theme “Climate, Democracy and You.” From EV test drives to postcard writing parties to get out the vote, these events are geared toward direct positive action .
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons