Caring about the environment can feel like an uphill battle, where our individual efforts can seem small against the colossal issue of climate change. But working together–being just a little less of an individual in this battle–can feel uplifting and make a more significant difference.
Environmental activist and author, Bill McKibben, joined Cal State LA’s Department of Public Health for the final installment in our semester-long book read project. We had an inspiring conversation about building community together as we fight against climate change and for an energy transition. Here, we share some of our main takeaways.
You can watch our full 45-minute conversation with Bill McKibben.
Be a little less of an individual
As we’ve heard from other speakers in our series, we can each take steps to move the energy transition along. We can walk more, drive less (and when we do, drive an electric car), and install solar panels. And, of course, there are lots of steps in between. Yet, it can feel overwhelming to try to save the planet on your own. 
However, Bill argued that we should join organizations pushing for larger changes in addition to these steps. He noted how young adults–as part of the Sunrise Movement–were pivotal in pushing forward the Green New Deal. Some key elements of that initiative were, in fact, included in the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. Besides, he argued, working together is much more fun than working alone.
He further illustrated the importance of collective effort by referencing the very first Earth Day in 1970 as an example. An estimated 20 million people (about 10% of the population at that time) mobilized to protest environmental issues concerning smog pollution in Los Angeles and massive oil spills off the coast of Santa Barbara. The number of people involved led to significant political changes, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in just 18 months.
Bill’s point was clear: if we work together inter-generationally, and with resolve and urgency, we can overcome powerful forces that inhibit progressive environmental change.
Energy from heaven, not from hell
Bill discussed how solar energy production is now the cheapest and most efficient way to generate electricity. He argued that renewable power could basically end fossil fuel combustion. There is little doubt that economic capitalism will eventually push our societies to adopt such economically clean energy sources. Even so, the key is speed; we need to move as fast as possible. We don’t have time to make the negotiations typically needed to solve other political problems. Specifically, there are only 5 years and seven months left to cut emissions in half before the 2030 deadline set by the Paris Climate Agreement.
But there are reasons for hope. He explained that California had recently racked up a series of environmental accomplishments that had never been seen before. For example, for 100 days (so far) in 2024, California delivered 100% carbon-free electricity for a part of each day. That is a dramatic change. It was just two years ago that the state momentarily met demand with 100% clean energy for the very first time. California has also been rapidly building battery storage. And, for the first time ever, for a few hours on April 16, 2024, batteries became the largest source of electricity delivered to the grid in California. 
Today, Bill argues, there is no reason we should be getting our energy from below the ground. He referenced his chapter in Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book and noted the ridiculousness of continuing to dig down into the earth to find coal and gas, and then setting them on fire. That is, he said, “dirty, dangerous and depressing.” Instead, we should be getting our energy from the sun, poignantly referring to this as: energy from heaven, not from hell.
Where you bank matters
Bill emphasized that where we decide to store our money, no matter how little we have, matters greatly in the climate battle. In fact, he argues that the money that the average American puts in banks is the “single biggest contribution to climate change” that they’re making. He pointed out that Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America–the world’s biggest lenders to the fossil fuel industry–use our money to finance new fossil fuel pipelines, new liquified natural gas terminals, coal mining, etc.
Say you have $100K in your savings account in one of these banks (this, he states, is typical for an average American approaching retirement age). Because of how the banks invest our money, Bill argues that this produces more carbon emissions than all the cooking, heating, cooling, flying, and driving that the average American family does in a year. Where we decide to bank matters a great deal when it comes down to the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. Beneficial State Bank is just one example of a bank that does not invest in fossil fuels.
This is why Bill and Third Act have been trying to take on these banks.
The rocking chair rebellion
Bill continued with his theme that we should all be less of individuals in the climate fight. He described how, through Third Act, older adults protested banks’ fossil fuel investments in 100 different cities. Armed with secondhand rocking chairs, they managed to draw attention to the banks during this time period so powerfully that The New York Times called this a “rocking chair rebellion.” Their main goal was to convince big companies–Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Costco–with large accounts at these banks to pressure them to stop funding fossil fuels. Bill discussed their current campaign to put pressure on Costco (which has a relationship with Citibank) to demand more environmental accountability from the bank.
He discussed how Apple has successfully cut their carbon emissions from their products, how their data centers are running on renewable energy, and how they have switched to renewable aluminum as a component of their iPhone. But when you add in the impacts of their banking, Bill points out that Apple’s emissions increase more than 110% and Microsoft’s increase by about 170%. Bill makes a compelling argument that these companies’ banking choices are the biggest thing they do to damage the world, yet it is the easiest to change. All they have to do, he poignantly implored them, is, for example, have the CEO of Apple (the biggest company in the world) call the head of Citibank and give an ultimatum: it’s us or Exxon. He is confident they would choose Apple.
To battle climate change, we need our banks to behave responsibly. For that to happen, we need everyone–from individuals to the biggest, most powerful companies–to put pressure on them to sever ties with the fossil fuel industry.
On environment, politics matters a lot
The last theme Bill emphasized is the critical role of politics in shaping our progress on climate change. Who we elect into office determines the legislative approach to climate. Bill parallels Nixon’s response to people gathering for Earth Day, which ultimately led to the creation of the EPA and other climate policies. Once again, he emphasizes how public pressure can impact how policies emerge.
Bill also describes the differences between political parties (at the time of our event, it was Biden vs. Trump) and their approaches to climate. While neither candidate is the perfect or ideal representative, it is important to consider their past efforts and positions on environment and climate change. Trump has called climate change a “hoax”. Biden, by contract, signed the largest investment in clean energy in the history of the U.S. This perspective helps us understand their potential for advancing climate initiatives. Between the two candidates on environment–he said it was night and day.
Individually, we can make a difference by educating ourselves about the history of politics and environmental health. Collectively, we can encourage our communities to vote, advocate, engage in public discourse, and become activists. As for this upcoming election, we can note that sitting out this election is a bad choice. The choices we make, Bill argued, will either be “game over” or “full steam ahead” on the clean energy transition.
The climate series concludes
This concludes our series on climate change, public health and hope. Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out earlier parts in this series, including conversations with climate journalists Sammy Roth and Caleigh Wells, and our discussion with community environmental activist mark! Lopez. If you want to read more about why The Medical Care Blog is focusing on climate this year, check out its consensus statement on climate.
You can also read more about Cal State LA’s department-wide book read events focused on public health leadership from last year.
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