
Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda Bill McKibben: Tomorrow Will be Sunny
Nov 11, 2025
Bill McKibben, an influential environmental author and founder of 350.org, discusses the rapid growth of solar and wind energy, now cheaper than fossil fuels. He highlights grassroots efforts to accelerate climate action, even amid U.S. federal setbacks. McKibben shares innovative solutions like solar farms combating desertification and balcony solar for apartment dwellers. He emphasizes the importance of local action, the challenges posed by fossil fuel interests, and the global grassroots movement his organization promotes.
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Cheap Renewables Are An Epochal Chance
- Solar and wind became cheaper than coal and gas about five years ago, creating an epochal chance to stop burning fossil fuels.
- Bill McKibben warns economics alone is too slow; activism must accelerate the switch to match physics.
Renewables Surge But Time Is Short
- Fossil fuels supplied less than half of U.S. electricity for the first time, while 95% of new global generation came from renewables.
- McKibben stresses we must act quickly because every tenth of a degree warms moves 100 million people into danger.
Solar Farms Slow Desertification
- China uses large solar farms to slow desertification because panels create shade that retains moisture and allows plants to grow.
- McKibben calls this a co-benefit: solar produces energy and restores land simultaneously.






