The solar revolution is well underway despite Trump’s best efforts: New podcast about Bill McKibben’s book "Here Comes the Sun"

The Ethinvest team were inspired by a new podcast with author and activist Bill McKibben about his new book, Here Comes the Sun. The podcast, the Giant Fireball that Could Save Us with David Sirota of Lever Time, offers real hope about the speed of the move to clean energy worldwide.

Bill McKibben, author of more than a dozen books including the End of Nature and co-founder of 350.org and Third Act, inspires with his cautionary but hopeful vision for the climate movement, arguing that while the challenge is immense, the recent growth in renewable energy offers real openings for change.

McKibben emphasised that individual lifestyle changes - switching to solar energy and heat pumps, electric vehicles or more efficient homes - are important, they are not nearly enough by themselves. The bigger picture, he asserted, is collective political and economic transformation: “The most important thing an individual can do is be somewhat less of an individual,” McKibben said, calling for people to join movements powerful enough to reshape policies and speed up the end of the fossil fuel economy.

McKibben noted that solar and wind have seen “explosive growth” in recent years, with costs falling dramatically, yet warned that this momentum could be undermined if fossil fuel expansion continues unchecked.

Despite decades of climate activism, McKibben acknowledged regrets over time lost in addressing climate change, especially given the entrenched power and disinformation campaigns of the fossil fuel industry and Donald Trump’s return to power. He is optimistic, however, naming the speed of China’s development of clean energy, the focused nature of the current climate movement and that organized action now can and will determine whether humanity can meet the global climate challenge.

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References & further reading:

• The Lever. (2025, September 20). The giant fireball that could save us | Lever Time [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt0eTcn2LNA

• Here Comes the Sun - Bill McKibben. (2025, August 13). Bill McKibben. https://billmckibben.com/books/here-comes-the-sun/

• The End of Nature - Bill McKibben. (2025, July 23). Bill McKibben. https://billmckibben.com/books/the-end-of-nature/

• 350.org. (n.d.). 350.org: A global campaign to confront the climate crisis. 350. https://350.org/

• Third act – Our time is now. (n.d.). https://thirdact.org/