It is entirely understandable if you have been feeling depressed about our environmental circumstance in light of the increasingly hostile actions and rhetoric of the Trump administration regarding the production solar and wind energy. President Trump has already ended subsidies for wind and solar energy production and his "Big Beautiful Bill" has put new taxes on them.  

Encouragingly, renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben appeared on the weekday independent news program Democracy Now on September 10 and had some surprisingly good news about the level of adoption of solar and wind energy production in the world and the United States. McKibben stated that California produces more than 100% of its energy needs from renewable sources for long stretches at a time and that at night its biggest source of energy on the grid is from batteries which have been soaking up excess solar-produced electricity during the daylight hours. Amy Goodman, the show's host, stated that the United States as of June 2025 has nearly reached 25% of its total energy production by renewable sources, up from 18% just last year. McKibben also reported that China has been adding a staggering amount of solar produced energy in the last three years. In May of this year, it was adding the rough equivalent of three coal-fired electrical production plants a day, all with solar panels. 

There may be an extra bonus from the adoption of widespread solar energy production: the democratization of energy production. McKibben stated that across Europe and in the state of Utah, it is legal to purchase a solar panel, hang it over a balcony railing, and plug it into the grid, allowing people to easily produce 20% of their energy needs. The production of solar energy could become so widespread that it could end the stranglehold that oil and gas corporations have on energy production. 

Click here to view the program and/or read the transcript.

Note that there will be a rally in Geneva on Sunday September 21 (the fall equinox) from 1:00 to 2:30 pm at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center. It is co-sponsored by Seneca Lake Guardian and Indivisible Hector Schuyler County. Its goal is to, "establish unity and agency among those of us concerned about climate issues, clean air and water, and (communicate) how our elected leaders are falling short in protecting the FLX from predatory, polluting corporations that exploit our clear air, water, and way of life for private financial gain."