Home / Authors / Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben Quotes

Environmentalist

Bill McKibben, born on December 8, 1960, is an American environmentalist renowned for his deep research and advocacy on climate change issues. His work highlights the impact of human activities on the Earth, particularly the destruction caused by industrialization and consumerism.

Filter quotes by topic

All People World Thinking Climate Ifs Years Fuel Climate Change Fossil Fuel Fossils Planets Global Warming Needs Problem Way Carbon Energy Humans Industry Real

Famous Bill McKibben Quotes

“There is an urgent need to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, dramatically reduce wasted energy, and significantly shift our power supplies from oil, coal, and natural gas to wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources.”

“Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.”

Men Years Bigs Energy Company Taken He Man Men And Women Vote Congress Campaigns Donation Subsidies

Author:Bill McKibben

“With each month that passes, a solar panel gets 2 or 3 percent cheaper. So while we're holding the fossil fuel industry in check, the engineers in the renewable energy world are undercutting them from the other side.”

World Energy Sides Months Industry Percent Checks Fuel Engineers Fossils Cheaper Fossil Fuel Renewable Energy Solar Panels Each Month

Author:Bill McKibben

“Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this scale. When you go to Europe, they're much more ready. They use half the amount of energy per capita that we use. They can imagine using less than that. They see the benefits. They're ready to go.”

People States Use Energy United Half United States Imagine Ready Amount Easier Benefits Europe Scales Fuel Fossils Fossil Fuel

Author:Bill McKibben

“Often when I'm on TV, they'll ask what are the three most important things for people to do. I know they want me to say that people should change their light bulbs. I say the number one thing is to organize politically; number two, do some political organizing; number three, get together with your neighbors and organize; and then if you have energy left over from all of that, change the light bulb.”

“It's our own throat that we are cutting in the end along with everyone else's. We need to be exercising precisely the kind of leadership that might allow us to nudge China and India, say, onto different energy trajectories, in order to improve our own chances of surviving this century.”

Needs Kind Different Ends Might Order Energy Chance Cutting Century Exercise India China Throat Surviving Trajectory Nudge China And India

Author:Bill McKibben

“It's much to the credit of the rest of the world that they have gone ahead and tried to do the Kyoto accords on their own. It makes it unbelievably difficult to do that, for a variety of economic and regulatory reasons, without the participation of the biggest energy user in the world.”

World Reason Energy Difficult Gone Economic Credit Variety Users Participation Accord Kyoto

Author:Bill McKibben

“We have to get our states to adopt what are called "renewable portfolio standards" pledging to use a lot of renewable energy by 2015 or 2020. We have to work with businesses and shops to get them engaged in the same way.”

Way States Use Energy Standards Engaged Shops Renewable Energy Portfolios

Author:Bill McKibben

“I also think we need unconventional political action, and I increasingly think that there is a need for people of faith to be able to do the kind of things that people of faith did 40 years ago in the heat of the civil rights revolution. This is a moral issue of every bit as much importance requiring every bit as much sacrifice, courage, and energy as that crisis did.”

“Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil fuel production.”

Energy Labor Productions Fuel Fossils Fossil Fuel Renewable Energy

Author:Bill McKibben

“I don't know how to make people who absolutely have to be obsessed with paying a week's energy bills... obsessed with climate change... It's very hard.”

People Knows Hard Energy Know How Week Bills Climate Climate Change Obsessed

Author:Bill McKibben

“I think the best way is to keep stressing, that, as we build out a new energy system, one of the best things about it, if we do it right, will be that it will be more local, more democratic, more distributed, and, in the long run, much more economically sensible.”

Ifs Thinking Way Long Running Energy Stress Democratic Locals Best Way Best Things Sensible Long Runs New Energy

Author:Bill McKibben

“[Barack Obama] done some good things, he's done a couple of bad things. He's obsessed with this all of the above energy policy and... lots and lots of drilling in the States, so he's been weak on it.”

States Done Energy Policy Couple Weak Good Things Barack Obsessed Bad Things Drilling Energy Policy

Author:Bill McKibben

“I've got no advice. You guys know where you are and what will work. Just know that there are people all over the place working on this and that there's a great deal of solidarity around the world and we should try to build this big, sprawling movement that looks like the kind of energy system that we want - building lots of solar panels on lots of rooftops that are all interconnected.”

People Knows World Want Should Trying Looks Kind Bigs Guy Energy Deals Advice Movement Building Around The World Where You Are Solidarity Interconnected Rooftops Solar Panels

Author:Bill McKibben

“The world hasn't ended, but the world as we know it has-even if we don't quite know it yet.”

Ifs Knows World Energy Environment Climate Change

Book:Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Source: Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

“There's no happy ending where we prevent climate change any more. Now the question is, is it going to be a miserable century or an impossible one, and what comes after that.”

Energy Environment Impossible Century Climate Climate Change Miserable Happy Endings

Author:Bill McKibben

“Irene's got a middle name, and it's Global Warming.”

Names Energy Environment Middle Climate Change Weather Global Warming Flood Drought

Author:Bill McKibben

“Remember...this year has already seen more billion-dollar weather-related disasters than any year in US history. Last year was the warmest ever recorded on planet Earth. Arctic sea ice is near all-time record lows. Record floods from Pakistan to Queensland to the Mississippi basin; record drought from the steppes of Russia to the plains of Texas...This is what climate change looks like in its early stages.”

“If we all used clotheslines, we could save 30 million tons of coal a year, or shut down 15 nuclear power plants. And you don't have to wait to start. Yours could be up by this afternoon. To be specific, buy 50 feet of clothesline and a $3 bag of clothespins and become a solar energy pioneer.”

Ifs Years Used Energy Waiting Millions Feet Plant Nuclear Bags Afternoon Coal Pioneers Nuclear Power Power Plants Solar Energy Clotheslines

Author:Bill McKibben