Prominent activist and longtime Adirondacker joins Adirondack Explorer for a climate talk that emphasized the role renewables can have in meeting carbon reduction goals
In a Jan 29 talk with supporters of Adirondack Explorer, prominent climate activist Bill McKibben presented data about climate change, noting that 2023 saw the hottest temperatures in 125,000 years and discussing severe weather events like the California wildfires and Canadian boreal forest fires. He emphasized the ongoing urgency around reducing global carbon emissions, particularly with targets set for drastic reductions by 2030.
Despite the grim outlook, McKibben shared hopeful developments in renewable energy, particularly California’s achievement of generating over 100% of its electricity from renewables on certain days in 2024 and Pakistan’s rapid solar adoption. He announced plans for a global ‘Sun Day’ event on Sept. 20-21 to promote renewable energy adoption. The discussion also covered challenges in implementing renewable energy solutions, including bureaucratic hurdles and the need for public support. McKibben addressed questions about nuclear power, electric vehicles, and the impact of renewable energy projects on wildlife habitats.
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You can watch a recording of the event below:
This event was initially held exclusively to Adirondack Explorer donors. If you would like to participate in future events similar to this one, please consider making a donation to support independent Adirondack journalism.
“My advice would be don’t take [this snow globe winter] for granted. Use every minute of it because this is the kind of thing that’s now rarer and rarer on our planet and in our region, as all of you know, we’re very lucky. January 2025 is going to be the warmest January on record around the planet, it’s just that all our small corner of that planet has benefited from a kind of stuck jet stream that’s kept us in this beautiful place I know.”
Bill Mckibben
Bill, please be a waste of a carbon dioxide footprint somewhere other thanTennessee. Thank you.
Wind and solar can never produce enough electricity to power the grid, thinking it can doesn’t align with reality. Lithium batteries are a hazard that so far can’t be mitigated, several battery farms have caused huge fires requiring evacuation of people near the farms. Nuclear and fossil fuels are presently the only options.
Too bad “environmentalists” shut down the proposed wind power in Johnsburg 20 or so years ago, first due it being an eye sore and second bird and bat population. The eye sore was mentioned far more in public comment than true environmental concerns… Now we have an unreliable grid which is unable to sustain all electric consumers. Having rural communities push for all electric without a reliable grid is putting people at great risk.. it is naive to think everyone can do this, especially with a median income of $30,000 a year in Johnsburg.