There is an urgent need to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel

Bill McKibben, prophet of the earth and herald of the climate struggle, declares with urgency: “There is an urgent need to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, dramatically reduce wasted energy, and significantly shift our power supplies from oil, coal, and natural gas to wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources.” In this cry resounds the wisdom of one who sees not only the peril of the present, but the destiny of generations yet unborn. He speaks as one calling his people from a house ablaze, urging them to flee destruction and embrace the renewable strength of the earth’s own gifts.

The ancients themselves revered the balance of nature. The Greeks told of Prometheus, who brought fire to men as a blessing, yet warned that fire unchecked could devour. So too do oil, coal, and natural gas, though once blessings of industry, now scorch the earth and darken the skies. McKibben’s words call us back to the harmony that our forebears dimly glimpsed: to live by the wind, the sun, the geothermal fires, not as plunderers but as stewards of creation.

History gives us lessons in the folly of waste and the wisdom of renewal. When the forests of Easter Island were cut without restraint, the people were left barren, unable to build, to sail, or to thrive. Their collapse stands as a warning to all who consume without foresight. In contrast, nations that turned early to renewable energy, such as Iceland with its geothermal power, have shown how wisdom and courage can free a people from dependence on that which destroys.

McKibben also unmasks the injustice of subsidizing fossil fuels—feeding wealth into the very engines of ruin while neglecting the rising dawn of clean power. He reminds us that this is not only a question of science, but of morality. To cling to coal and oil when the earth trembles with droughts, floods, and fires is to choose blindness over sight, bondage over freedom. To invest in renewable energy is to sow seeds of hope, to honor both the planet and the children who will inherit it.

Let this be the teaching for future generations: that the wisdom of an age is not measured by its power to consume, but by its power to sustain. To shift from the darkness of fossil fire to the brilliance of sun and wind is not merely policy, but destiny. The call is urgent, the choice is clear: either remain chained to the past and perish in its ashes, or rise with courage and embrace the eternal gifts of the earth. For the one who chooses renewal chooses life itself.