2 minute read
Five Times Faster
Simon Sharpe
As Greenland melts, Australia burns, and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, we think we know who the villains are: oil companies, consumerism, weak political leaders. But what if the real blocks to progress are the ideas and institutions that are supposed to be helping us? Five Times Faster is an inside story from Simon Sharpe, who has spent ten years at the forefront of climate change policy and diplomacy. In our fight to avoid dangerous climate change, science is pulling its punches, diplomacy is picking the wrong battles, and economics has been fighting for the other side. This provocative and engaging book sets out how we should rethink our strategies and reorganise our efforts in the fields of science, diplomacy, and economics, so that we can act fast enough to stay safe.
Simon Sharpe is Director of Economics at UNFCCC Climate Champions, and Senior Fellow of the World Resources Institute. He led international policy campaigns as part of the UK’s Presidency of the UN climate change talks in 2020-2021; worked as the head of private office to a minister of energy and climate change (UK Government), and served on diplomatic postings in China and India.
Advance praise
‘As the world is suffocating under extreme weather events, widespread food and water scarcity, destruction of ecosystems, and a series of other interrelated climatelinked crises, Simon Sharpe’s book is a breath of fresh air. It provides a sobering risk assessment of what’s going to happen if we don’t free our global economy from fossil fuels, Five Times Faster takes you on a captivating - yet alarming - journey through the complexities of climate change. More than ever, we need global cooperation, built on valuing what matters and that’s oriented towards the supreme outcome: our global common good. The tools, public capacity, and ideas needed for navigating an increasingly challenging field are key, and Simon’s book is an important leap in the right direction.’ Professor Mariana Mazzucato, University College, London, and author of Mission Economy
‘Pace is truly what matters in the climate fight’ Bill McKibben SIMON SHARPE
RETHINKING THE SCIENCE, ECONOMICS, AND DIPLOMACY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
UK publication March 2023 US publication June 2023
336 pages 9781009326490 Hardback
£20.00 | $24.95 USD | $28.95 CAD
At a glance
• A policy insider’s compelling views on science, economics, showing how changes in each could lead to faster progress in addressing climate change • Many examples from Sharpe’s personal experiences in climate diplomacy • Goes against conventional wisdom and contradicts some mainstream narratives about climate change solutions, providing a fresh perspective and new ideas “
