Foreign Policy Live Can Solar Energy Save the Planet?
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Nov 21, 2025 
Bill McKibben, an environmentalist and author, brings optimism about solar energy in the face of climate change. He highlights breakthroughs in solar technology and battery advancements that promise to lower costs and increase adoption. McKibben emphasizes the significant role of China in renewable energy development and its implications on global power dynamics. He also discusses the cultural and moral necessity of transitioning to solar and the potential for AI to influence clean energy growth.
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Renewables Are The New Default
- Solar and wind are now the cheapest way to produce electricity, crossing an invisible price threshold a few years ago.
- That shift makes renewable energy the obvious global path forward, not just an “alternative.”
We're On The Steep Growth Curve
- Solar generation is in the steep early part of an S-curve showing exponential growth year-over-year.
- Sustaining that growth could shave tenths of a degree off warming and protect millions of people.
Pakistanis Building DIY Solar
- Pakistanis are buying cheap Chinese solar panels and assembling systems using YouTube tutorials to escape unreliable grids.
- This grassroots adoption shows decentralized renewables can leapfrog failing centralized systems.