Bill McKibben reflects on his involvement in the environmental movement, and discusses his activities during the years of the Obama presidency. He recounts the development of his understanding of the scale of the threat of climate change and the power of the fossil fuel industry, and speaks widely about the recent history of movements for climate change mitigation, fossil fuel divestment, and envir onmental justice. McKibben describes the founding of 350.org, and provides details about major events, issues, and initiatives with which he was closely involved, including nonviolent direct action against the Obama administration's possible approval of the Keystone XL pipeline extension; relations between established environmental organizations and grassroots environmental groups like 350.org; the global, generational, and demographic expansion of the environmental movement; campaigns for the divestment of university endowments from fossil fuels; and the People's Climate March in September 2014 in relation to the United Nations Climate Summit. McKibben also considers the changing position of climate change in American politics, evaluates the Obama administration's energy and climate change policies, and explains the failure of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (Waxman-Markey). Also discussed are McKibben's encounters with Obama administration officials; the 2009 Copenhagen Summit; President Obama's relations with movement politics and response to pressure from grassroots activists; the Obama administration's support for domestic oil and gas production and embrace of natural gas as a transition fuel; the role of Indigenous communities in the environmental movement and in opposition to proposed pipelines; and the evolution of Obama's approach to climate change over the course of his two terms
Presidents--United States; Climatic changes--United States; Climate change mitigation--United States; Environmental protection--United States; Environmental policy--United States; Environmental justice--United States; Environmentalism--History.--United States; Global warming--Law and legislation--United States; Renewable energy sources--Law and legislation--United States; McKibben, Bill; Obama, Barack; Keystone XL Project; Conference of the Parties (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Copenhagen, Denmark) 2009 : (15th
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
60 pages
Note (Biographical)
Bill McKibben is an American environmentalist, journalist, organizer, author, and teacher. He is the founder of 350.org, a global, grassroots movement active in the fight against global warming and the climate crisis, and he has served as the organiza tion's chair of the board, senior advisor, and senior advisor emeritus. At the time of the interview, McKibben was also a contributing writer to The New Yorker and Schumann distinguished scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College. He previously served as a staff writer at The New Yorker
Note
Interviewed by Dov Weinryb Grohsgal on June 23, 2021. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Bill McKibben, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023