---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Renewable energy is far more…"
description: "\"Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil fuel production.\" — Bill McKibben"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg"
---

#  Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil…

![“Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil fuel production.” quote by Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg)

> “Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil fuel production.”

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Renewable energy projects need more human labor per unit of output than traditional fossil fuel extraction and processing.

**In simple terms:** Renewables require more workers than fossil fuels.

Key Takeaway

Invest in training and workforce development for clean energy.

Themes

sustainability labor energy transition

Mood

concerned optimistic

Type

analytical policy-oriented

When to use this quote

- construction of solar farms
- wind turbine maintenance
- policy planning
- community energy projects

Key Concepts

Renewable energy human capital industrial ecology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies balance labor demands with climate goals?
- What policies can make clean energy jobs affordable?

A Different Perspective

Higher labor intensity can raise costs and slow adoption without supportive policies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Fossil fuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fossil-fuel/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Renewable energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renewable-energy/)

## Related quotes

> [While the agreement signed in Paris between 195 nations to combat climate change was historic and significant, it's still vague and lacks the ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-quigley/while-the-agreement-signed-in-paris-between-195-nations-to-combat/)

John B. Quigley

> [Our dependence on fossil fuels amounts to global pyromania, and the only fire extinguisher we have at our disposal is renewable energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-scheer/our-dependence-on-fossil-fuels-amounts-to-global-pyromania-and-the/)

Hermann Scheer

> [I know that nuclear is better than fossil fuels when it comes to carbon dioxide, but nuclear energy is by no means clean. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-know-that-nuclear-is-better-than-fossil-fuels-when-it-comes-to/)

[Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/)

> [Renewable energy fits well into the conservative mindset by allowing competition into the energy markets so that consumers have choice. The system as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/renewable-energy-fits-well-into-the-conservative-mindset-by-allowing/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [I think a revolution transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy - somebody's going to be the 21st-century clean-energy superpower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-think-a-revolution-transitioning-from-fossil-fuels-to-clean/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I think that the world is in the middle of a huge transition that we have to make to renewable energy. We have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/i-think-that-the-world-is-in-the-middle-of-a-huge-transition-that-we/)

[Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/)

> [While we've doubled renewable energy, it was only a tiny portion of the energy portfolio to start with. But what we did was totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/while-we-ve-doubled-renewable-energy-it-was-only-a-tiny-portion-of/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Other thing we need to understand is that the financial power of the fossil fuel industry has so far prevented even any minor progress.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/other-thing-we-need-to-understand-is-that-the-financial-power-of-the/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [We can either save the planet from catastrophic warming, or protect fossil fuel CEOs. Not both. Do the math(s)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-can-either-save-the-planet-from-catastrophic-warming-or-protect/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [I think the world on the other side of fossil fuel is more local - the logic of sun and wind is diffuse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-think-the-world-on-the-other-side-of-fossil-fuel-is-more-local-the/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [We couldn't outspend the fossil fuel industry - they have more money than God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-couldn-t-outspend-the-fossil-fuel-industry-they-have-more-money/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [ If \[a student's\] college’s endowment portfolio has fossil-fuel stock, then their educations are being subsidized by investments that guarantee they won’t have much of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/if-a-student-s-college-s-endowment-portfolio-has-fossil-fuel-stock/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

## More by Bill McKibben

> [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Whenever anyone challenges anything, the powers that be try to paint them as extremists or radicals or whatever. And I think that's actually nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/whenever-anyone-challenges-anything-the-powers-that-be-try-to-paint/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [What makes us different? We're the creature that can decide not to do something that we are capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/what-makes-us-different-we-re-the-creature-that-can-decide-not-to-do/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [“The snow was coming down so hard. It looked like the flakes were hurrying to get out of the sky so the next ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-snow-was-coming-down-so-hard-it-looked-like-the-flakes-were/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/most-of-the-men-and-women-who-vote-in-congress-each-year-to-continue/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [“I’ve sat behind a microphone and listened for decades as Americans learned to stop talking with each other and start shouting instead. No discussions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-ve-sat-behind-a-microphone-and-listened-for-decades-as-americans/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [We're putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the atmosphere can absorb. And everybody told us when we started, coz we knew nothing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-re-putting-more-carbon-into-the-atmosphere-than-the-atmosphere-can/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everything-that-the-administration-has-done-has-been-counterproductive/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [We use the web to help people organize in the flesh, and then we take the images of those events and put them back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-use-the-web-to-help-people-organize-in-the-flesh-and-then-we-take/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [everyone knows, at some level, that the sharp line between "good weather" and "bad weather" is a fiction, that we need rain as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everyone-knows-at-some-level-that-the-sharp-line-between-good-weather/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [The thing about global warming is that you can address it on a great number of levels - in fact you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-thing-about-global-warming-is-that-you-can-address-it-on-a-great/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

[Explore all 299 Bill McKibben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

## More Climate quotes

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

> [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/)

[Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/)

> [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

[Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil fuel production.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill McKibben"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-intensive-than-fossil-fuel/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Climate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-intensive-than-fossil-fuel/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/bill-mckibben-1057_climate_renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-inten_379831.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive than fossil fuel production.” — Bill McKibben",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bill McKibben",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Renewable energy is far more labor-intensive...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-intensive-than-fossil-fuel/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/renewable-energy-is-far-more-labor-intensive-than-fossil-fuel/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
