By Elaine Garrison, Communications Team

When Bill McKibben accepts the Community of Christ International Peace Award on October 16, he will become one of only about two dozen people since 1993 to receive a sculpture of hands cradling an etched globe of Earth created by Wyoming artist Gail Sundell.

In McKibben’s case, the globe will have specific meaning. He is one of the most urgent—if not the most urgent—voices on the world stage pushing for an end to the many things that aggravate climate change.

His straightforward opinions likely will be front and center as he delivers the keynote speech for the Community of Christ Peace Forum in Independence, Missouri, USA. McKibben took a few minutes to respond to the Herald’s questions.

McKibben has never shied from sharing his straightforward perspectives based on his research and knowledge. While his views often spark robust debate and differing perspectives, it is exactly that energy the movement needs. We celebrate McKibben for his extraordinary dedication to the climate emergency and his relentless drive to challenge us all to consider how we can help heal the planet.

He is one of the most urgent—if not the most urgent—voices on the world stage pushing for an end to the many things that aggravate climate change.

Herald: What can we be hopeful about regarding the world’s environmental issues?

Bill: The one big hopeful thing is the very rapid fall in the price of clean, renewable energy. We now live in a world where the cheapest way to make power is to point a sheet of glass at the sun. This finally gives us a tool in the fight against climate change, a tool that can scale fast.

In California, for instance, they’re using 60 percent less natural gas to make electricity than three years ago. That’s a big number in a big place—the fourth-largest economy in the world. It’s not enough to stop global warming—we’ve waited too late for that. But it’s enough to start shaving tenths of a degree off how hot the planet will get, and each tenth of a degree we raise the temp moves 100 million of our brothers and sisters from a safe climate zone to a dangerous one.

Herald: What are the three best ways for individuals to help the environment?

Bill: For Americans: Put a solar panel on the roof (or on the balcony if you’re in an apartment that has one). Choose an e-bike or EV for your transportation if you can’t rely on the bus or train. And—above all—be less of an individual, joining others in movements large enough to change the economic and political ground rules so we can make change at the pace required.

Work should be an extension of our values, not a contradiction of them.

Herald: What are your main concerns for the immediate future? For the next generation?

Bill: I’m very concerned that America is slipping into an authoritarian, anti-science era, a historical whirlpool that will suck us down. And I’m very worried that it’s helping leave the world unprepared to face the climate crisis, even as it breaks above our heads. The El Nino that’s getting underway will be a taste of the weather in the world to come.

Herald: So many communities are dealing with the possibility of data centers. Your concerns? Can any positives come of a data center being built in a community? How can an individual deter construction OR deal with the aftermath if the data center already is underway?

Bill: If you’re going to build a data center, you should have to bring your own new clean energy. That is to say, build a solar or wind farm and a bunch of batteries to run the thing. Otherwise, you’re going to run up everyone’s power bill, foul their air, and overheat the planet. All for a technology whose main promise seems to be that it’s going to cost us our jobs.

Herald: How can individuals persuade employers to become greener?

Bill: Point them to the numbers. Most people, and hence most of their workforce, feel better about working at a place that cares about the environment. Work should be an extension of our values, not a contradiction of them.