At the 2025 Mountain Towns 2030 Summit in Breckenridge, CO, renowned environmentalist, author, and 350.org founder Bill McKibben delivered a powerful and sobering keynote address, urging mountain communities to act decisively in the fight against climate change.
He also shared his hope and optimism about the future, grounded in the rapid transition to clean energy.
“In the last 36 months, there’s been a sudden, dramatic, explosive surge in the use of clean energy from the sun and wind and batteries around the world,” he said. “Over that period, we’ve hit, suddenly, the steep part of a fast ascending curve.”
In fact, new data shows that for the first half of this year, for the first time around the world, solar power provided more energy than coal-fired power. “We may have finally hit the peak of our combustion of fossil fuels and started down the other side,” he said. “And if we have, it is an extraordinary watershed for human beings.”
A World on the Brink – and the Promise of Renewable Energy
McKibben, who authored the first popular book on climate change in 1989, warned that climate chaos is no longer theoretical. From floods in Vermont to deadly heat in Pakistan, he described a world already experiencing the dire consequences of fossil-fueled warming.
“All the things we thought were going to happen back in the ’80s are happening—faster and more violently,” he told the audience of 600+ leaders from mountain towns across the country.
Despite the dire warnings, McKibben offered hope. For the first time in his 40-year climate career, he sees tangible, scalable solutions gaining global momentum. In the last 36 months, he said, renewable energy—particularly solar—has surged at an unprecedented pace.
“The cheapest way to make power now is to point a sheet of glass at the sun,” he said.
He cited Pakistan, which built the equivalent of half its electric grid with solar in eight months, and recent data showing solar power globally overtook coal-fired power for the first time.
McKibben emphasized the revolutionary nature of this transition—not just technologically but geopolitically: “A world that runs on fossil fuel is controlled by those who control fossil fuel. A world that runs on sun and wind is controlled by everybody,” he said.
The transition to clean energy could also have a massive impact on human health, he said, with nine million deaths a year globally from breathing the combustion byproducts of fossil fuels. “That’s one death in five on this planet… which is no longer necessary,” he said.
An American Retreat as the World Moves Forward
While much of the world accelerates the renewable transition, McKibben criticized recent U.S. policy shifts that have slowed or reversed clean energy deployment.
“We’re reverting to 18th-century technology while the rest of the planet moves forward,” he said.
From halted wind farms to solar panel tariffs and bans on renewable development on federal land, he warned that the U.S. risks ceding both economic and moral leadership to other nations like China.
Local Power and Practical Framing: Reaching Across Divides
Speaking to the 600+ mountain town leaders in the room, McKibben argued that small communities have outsized potential to lead—not just in action, but in narrative.
He encouraged framing renewables not as “alternative energy” but as practical, patriotic, and economically smart: “This is the Costco of energy. It’s cheap. It’s available in bulk. It’s on the shelf ready to go. Getting that message across is really important.”
In rural areas, he noted, solar panels are already appealing across political lines. Many of his conservative-leaning neighbors in Vermont have solar on their roofs—not for environmental reasons, but for energy independence.
From Agrivoltaics to Pollinators: A Regenerative Vision
McKibben also shared optimistic stories about the future of land use in a clean energy era. He described agrivoltaics—growing crops under solar panels—as an opportunity to enhance biodiversity and food production.
“We’re not just fighting climate change—we’re addressing the biodiversity crisis too,” he said.
From Illinois cornfields to Vermont pollinator meadows, he highlighted how regenerative land use could revitalize rural economies and landscapes.
The Fight Ahead: Democracy, Policy, and Practical Next Steps
In the Q&A, McKibben tackled tough questions about inequality, fossil-fueled politics, and democracy. He acknowledged the urgency of climate justice, especially in the Global South, and emphasized local opportunities like balcony solar, which is now permitted in Utah, SolarApp+ permitting reform, and community organizing.
He called out the moral and technological betrayal of allowing China to lead in solar manufacturing after American innovations launched the industry: “We invented this technology, and we handed it away.”
As a final rallying cry, McKibben returned to what mountain town leaders stand to lose:
“There are many reasons to fight climate change. But for me? I love winter. And I want my grandson to know it, too.”
Takeaways for Mountain Towns
- Tell better stories: Frame clean energy as economic freedom, reliability, and local pride.
- Adopt permitting tools: Push for adoption of tools like SolarAPP+ to speed solar adoption.
- Support balcony solar: Advocate for legislation enabling low-cost solar access in multi-family housing.
- Use your voice: Elected officials, planners, and residents alike can help protect democracy and the planet.
As McKibben closed to a standing ovation, his message was clear: hope is found not in passivity, but in participation. The clean energy future is here—if we fight for it.
For more information on Bill McKibben’s work, visit Third Act, 350.org, and read his latest book, “Here Comes the Sun.”
