Bill McKibben to Give Climate Change Talks Sunday

Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben has garnered a wide following for his ideas and books, including his latest tome, "Eaarth," and on Sunday McKibben will return to the slice of earth where he grew up – Lexington – to speak at Cary Hall.

McKibben, who has written more than a dozen books, will speak about "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet," Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in a free talk co-sponsored by the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition (LexGWAC) and the Lexington Community Farm Coalition (Lex Farm).

McKibben's first book about climate change, "The End of Nature," was published in 1989. In "Eaarth," published this spring, McKibben talks about how early warnings about global warming went unheeded, and climate change is underway.

LexGWAC member Nancy Nolan said McKibben's talk will also likely touch on topics such as local food and farming, and how communities should band together to combat global warming and brace for climate change.

"The importance of getting the community to work together and act together, so we're resilient," she said. "The worst of climate change is yet to come – change is coming, are we prepared?"

McKibben, a Lexington native, also wants to use Sunday's talk as an opportunity to take up a collection for the relief efforts underway in Pakistan following the flooding there, Nolan said.

McKibben's book will be available for sale and signing after Sunday night's talk. Interest in the event has been far-reaching, Nolan said, and many people have contacted LexGWAC through its website to find out more about the event.

"There's a lot of buzz," she said. "People from all across Massachusetts have contacted us about the event."

McKibben will also be speaking Sunday morning at Hancock United Church of Christ, which he attended while growing up, and will preach at the 10 a.m. morning worship service on the "Moral Math of Climate Change."

More information on McKibben's talk at Hancock can be found on the church's website, while the LexGWAC and LexFarm websites have information on the Sunday evening talk at Cary Hall.