Bill McKibben may be the highest-profile climate activist in America. For more than a decade, he has been campaigning against the hydrocarbon industry and proclaiming that the world doesn’t need — and shouldn’t use — coal, oil, and natural gas. He has also repeatedly claimed that the global economy can be fueled solely by wind and solar, if only there were sufficient political will to make that happen. He’s also declared that we should slash our use of coal, oil, and natural gas by a factor of 20, a move that would plunge the entire world into energy poverty.
I’ve known McKibben for a long time. I’ve debated him and debunked many of his claims. In 2023, I had him on the Power Hungry Podcast. I give him credit for his persistence and work ethic. As noted on his Amazon page, he’s written “more than 20 books.” And yes, he’s right: solar energy around the world is growing fast.
But the hard truth is that McKibben is an old-school huckster.
McKibben is equal parts P.T. Barnum, Amory Lovins, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. He’s a constantly scolding climate catastrophist who blames the hydrocarbon sector for the impending doom he claims is now facing humanity. And he repeatedly praises the work of Mark Jacobson, the hyper-litigious Stanford professor who may be the most discredited academic in America.
McKibben’s latest book, Here Comes The Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, provides another example of the hucksterism that has made him famous. It’s also another example of his rank dishonesty. The book is a 220-page love letter to America’s most formidable geopolitical rival: the People’s Republic of China. McKibben is effusive in his praise of China’s pursuit of EVs, batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. But he blithely ignores China’s record as one of the world’s most notorious abusers of human rights. In particular, he makes only a passing mention of how dependent China’s solar sector is on the use of slavery in Xinjiang province, where numerous reports have determined that Uyghur Muslims are being enslaved to produce components for solar panels. Further, his book ignores the land-use conflicts over alt-energy that are raging all around the world. Finally, McKibben ignores the pesky problem of scale.
Read the rest of this piece at: Robert Bryce Substack.
Robert Bryce is a Texas-based author, journalist, film producer, and podcaster. His articles have appeared in a myriad of publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Time, Austin Chronicle, and Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: courtesy Robert Bryce.
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