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The End of Nature
Bill McKibben, scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College, is an American environmentalist and writer. He is the author of twelve books, including The End of Nature (1989), the first book for a general audience about global warming, and, most recently, Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future (2007), which addresses what the he sees as shortcomings of the growth economy and envisions a transition to more local-scale enterprise. Bill is a frequent contributor to various publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, and Outside. He is also a board member and contributor to Grist Magazine. Bill's 350.org Day of Action on October 24, 2009, was the largest environmental action in history.
In a late evening interview, Naomi Klein of The Nation and PCI Fellow Bill McKibben of 350.org react to President Obama's Copenhagen speeches from earlier in the day. UN Climate Change Conference. Copenhagen. December 18, 2009. Distributed by Tubemogul.
The Reality Report talks to Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future and co-founder of the climate change group 350.org.
Over the past year or so, much of the thinking about the severity and timeline of climate change has undergone a major shift. In the fall of 2007, a report titled The Big Melt came out that reviewed the rapid loss of polar ice and its likely implications. In December 2007 James Hansen presented a paper at the American Geophysical Union in which it was argued that safe levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide were at least below 350 parts per million, and in fact may be less than 300 ppm. For anyone familiar with climate science and policy this was a stunning conclusion because current levels of CO2 are over 385 ppm. During the winter of 2008 a new report titled Climate Code Red was released that greatly expanded upon The Big Melt and delved into the socio-political implications of the new scientific information, essentially framing the issue in terms of survival requirements on a damaged spaceship Earth. Soon afterwards, a climate activist group called 350.org was formed by Bill McKibben and friends to spread the message that policy targets need to reflect the scientific imperative.
[Excerpt] Late last night, after the word had come down that the climate talks had ended in a four-way, non-binding, unfair, and breathtakingly unambitious agreement between the United States, China, India, and South … >>
The Copenhagen summit turned out to be little more than a charade, as the major nations refused to make firm commitments or even engage in an honest discussion of the consequences of failing to act. [Excerpt] It’s … >>
Post Carbon Fellow Bill McKibben was interviewed on climate change and living local for this article in the Seacoast. From the article: "There a set of statistics that indicates the percentage of Americans who … >>
Richard Heinberg busts the myth that "clean coal" can fuel our future.
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what is pci?Founded in 2003, Post Carbon Institute is leading the transition to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable world. The Institute has gathered 28 of the world's leading experts on a wide range of interdependent social and scientific issues.
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