ENERGY FROM HEAVEN NOT HELL

Environmentalist Bill McKibben offers HOPE

Joel Caldwell, Bill McKibben, Dr. Blake Scott, Blake Suarez, and Belvin Olasov

Charleston Literary Festival and Southern Environmental Law Center brought the famed author and environmentalist Bill McKibben to introduce his newest book, Here Comes The Sun, a hopeful last chance for the climate and fresh change for civilization. Charleston Climate Coalition and The M.A.R.S.H Project had a small gathering the morning of November 10th at which McKibben applauded local grassroots efforts and encouraged folks to act locally. His 4:00 presentation at the Dock Street Theatre echoed these sentiments but was his opportunity to paint a broader picture of what we’ve called “alternate energy” sources are now, in the rest of the world, not alternate but mainstream, and the most economical, effective and equitable sources to fuel the future. 

Big Oil funded Trump to the tune of half a billion dollars, which has effectively  has halted clean energy initiatives in much of the USA. McKibben encouraged us to act locally and fight the Methane Gas Plant at Canadys on the banks of the Edisto River. As one of the largest gas plants in the country, it will obsolete when built. “The rest of the world is not building big gas plants,” he noted, they’re investing in solar. Grassroots action is needed to protect the ACE Basin from water withdrawal needed for the “energy from hell,” as McKibben called fossil-derived combustion-fueled energy. Hazardous particulate matter released would cause hospitalizations of the local community with heart attacks, pneumonia, cardiovascular issues, stroke, cancer and birth defects.

90% of the world’s energy now comes from sun, wind and batteries clean resources. As a hurricane and flood prone area, we should turn to “energy from heaven,” as he called solar and wind. The Vatican will soon be off the fossil fuel grid supplying its own clean power, making it the first fully solar nation on the planet.  Climate solutions are making tremendous gains. 350.org and Third Act are McKibben’s educational links for you to be a climate activist fighting political battles for the betterment of humanity.

The wise 63 year old leader peppered his talk with facts and figures that made my head spin. 

A standing ovation celebrated McKibben’s presentation.