#14: Can Baby Boomers answer the call to Activism: A Conversation with Bill McKibben

The Sixties were a time of cultural revolution in the United States that faded into individualism, consumerism, and a move to right-wing politics.  As the Boomer generation become elders, they are faced with unprecedented crisis: climate change has become a lived experience, inequity continues to grow, democracies teeter on the brink and authoritarians are on the rise.

Bill McKibben believes the next 5 years may be the most important in the history of the human experiment. He strongly believes that young people need the support and help of elders with their activism, political clout and unprecedented wealth to transform our world’s future. 

Bill was one of the first voices to write about climate change with his book The End of Nature published in 1989. He is a noted environmentalist and an activist who has authored twenty books including his most recent “The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened.”  He founded 350.org, Third Act. and led strong opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. 

In this conversation we explore the seismic shift  in American politics and cultural that happen when Ronald Reagan was elected president, what needs to happen for us to win the fight not just the argument on climate change, how younger generations and elders can work side by side to bring about social change, and lessons from Bill’s  lifetime of activism.

Note to listeners: This was recorded in a natural setting therefore the soundtrack contains wind noise and bird songs.

We would like to thank our sponsor Elders Action Network “Building a movement of elders to address the environmental, governance and social issues of our time”.

You can reach us at the email address thewayforwardrc@gmail.com