McKibben said eight of the 10 biggest companies in the world are in the fossil fuel business, and “almost all of us are their accomplices. We need market forces at work to make these changes happen.”

The fossil fuel industry, he said, has been allowed “to use the atmosphere as an open sewer.”

He said climate-change initiatives should be “as nonpartisan and nonideological as possible.” He discussed 350.org, an international campaign to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for the globe.

McKibben emphasized creating a stronger sense of community, saying we are the “first of our species who have no practical need of our neighbors for anything,” and that people “are building bigger houses farther apart from each other. ... People feel a great loss of connection and community.”

One remedy is growing farmers markets and local-food initiatives, McKibben said.

Those attending formed a community during and after a question-and-answer session as they discussed local initiatives such as book clubs and Quad-City organizations concerned with global warming, energy conservation and community building.