Summer is coming earlier every year, as global temperatures continue to rise. Ocean levels are rising, too, as polar ice caps melt away. Meanwhile, the U.S economic model, with its enormous dependance on fossil fuels, proliferates around the globe. Bill McKibben's groundbreaking book, The End of Nature, brought global warming to public attention in 1988. But was anyone listening? U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide - the key culprit in the heating up of the Earth's atmosphere - are higher than ever. So what are the connections between this planetary crisis and hyper-consumerism?

Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben was one of the first to sound the alarm on climate change with his bestselling book "The End of Nature." A scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College, he is a leading activist, journalist and author on the environment. His other books include "The Age of Missing Information" and "Hope, Human and Wild," "Deep Economy," and "Eaarth." He is co-founder of 350.org.