Despite Setbacks, Climate Change Activist Bill McKibben Sponsors Global Day of Action, Oct. 10

Interview with Bill McKibben, author, journalist and climate change activist, conducted by Scott Harris

In early September, author, journalist and climate change activist Bill McKibben traveled from Maine to Washington, D.C. with some of his students and a solar panel once installed on the White House during Jimmy Carter's presidency. Their mission was to convince President Obama to symbolically re-install solar technology on his White House in an era where global warming threatens the planet's fragile ecosystem. The solar panel he towed from Maine had originally been installed on Carter's White House in 1979, where it produced hot water until it was torn down by Ronald Reagan, a sign of his administration's contempt for alternative energy technology.

Once in Washington, McKibben, who first warned about global warming in 1989, met with a few low-level government officials, but left the meeting frustrated with what seemed to be a rejection of his idea. But on Oct. 5, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced plans to install solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the White House roof by the end of next spring, as he inaugurated the GreenGov Symposium which promoted sustainable technology throughout the federal government.

Despite grave setbacks on addressing climate change at last year's Copenhagen Climate Conference and the lack of congressional cap and trade legislation in the U.S., McKibben remains hopeful that the people of the world will work to pressure political leaders to take the necessary action to protect the world from the ravages of global warming. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with McKibben about his new book, "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet," and his group's global day of action on climate change solutions on Oct. 10.

Learn more about the Oct. 10 day of action on climate change solutions at www.350.org. Bill McKibben's latest book is titled, "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet."

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