Climate Realism: Facing the Facts about Energy

The Oxford economist Sir Dieter Helm discusses his latest book in which, while emphasising the urgent need to address climate change, he challenges standard narratives about halting climate change and argues for a brutal reality check on policy failures and why after 30 years of UN climate conferences we have failed to slow rising CO₂ levels.

The only meaningful way to understand climate change and wider environmental harm is to begin with the facts. We need an honest assessment of what is working and what is not. The challenges are significant: carbon levels in the atmosphere are still rising, a genuine energy transition has yet to begin, and global energy demand is expected to rise sharply. Renewables remain expensive, nuclear power is costly, and carbon offsets are often little more than modern indulgences. Simultaneously, there is no clear route to sustainable growth. Some place their faith in technology or use offsets to ease their consciences, but this is wishful thinking. Written by one of the UK's leading commentators on energy policy and climate change, Climate Realism offers a radical reassessment of our current position. It argues that we must face the real cost of pollution we create and shows how to avoid wasting the years ahead.