On Earth Day, April 22, 2025, environmentalist, author, and journalist Bill McKibben delivered a powerful speech on climate change and the environmental movement at New York University’s School of Global Public Health. Bill McKibben, who founded 350.org and Third Act and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, used his extensive activism during the event, which served as the beginning of a five-year global series that will alternate between New York and Shanghai.
Bill McKibben opened his speech by sharing information about the quick disappearance of Arctic ice. Scientists have observed that the Arctic region is warming at a rate four times greater than the average global heating rate. The Arctic ice loss represents a major problem because scientists do not have adequate solutions to restore or reverse it, thus making this situation potentially permanent, while emphasizing the necessity for worldwide cooperation.
The event combined information about climate change effects on global health through stories about McKibben’s work in Bangladesh. The rising heat and humid conditions in Bangladesh’s crowded slums have triggered a historic rise in dengue fever outbreaks among mosquitoes. During his time in Bangladesh, McKibben experienced firsthand the severe effects of these outbreaks, highlighting climate change’s effects on the most vulnerable people on Earth by intensifying both health and social difficulties.
The lecture also addressed the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. According to McKibben, Cyclone Mocha demonstrated that disasters are no longer natural occurrences because it destroyed the Bay of Bengal and the world’s largest refugee camp. The intensified nature of these disasters stems from climate change caused by human activities, especially the ocean warming effects of fossil fuel emissions. Major oil companies received criticism for their actions, which worsened these crises because they maintained fossil fuel promotion despite mounting evidence of its risks.
Despite current environmental challenges, McKibben demonstrated recent achievements in California to illustrate what policy support combined with innovation can accomplish. The California power grid delivered carbon-free electricity for 100 days throughout 2024, thus marking a historic achievement. California achieved quick growth of its renewable energy infrastructure and battery storage systems, which enabled it to survive severe heat waves without power failures and set a positive precedent for other areas.
While McKibben acknowledged the scale of the climate crisis, he still focused on the grounds for optimism. Renewable energy adoption continues to increase rapidly while grassroots activism grows and fossil fuel divestment gains strength, which together indicate a pivotal change may be underway. The presentation ended by promoting collective action, which requires society to transform its feelings of frustration and concern into specific solutions. McKibben left the audience with one last note: rage serves as a precursor to meaningful change rather than a solution itself.
By Angel Kanda