Five Times Faster: Rethinking Climate Change

Sharpe explains how the global economy can be decarbonised five times faster this decade than has been managed over the past two decades.

In his talk Simon Sharpe will address this question by presenting ideas from his book ‘Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics and Diplomacy of Climate Change’ (Cambridge University Press), which was listed by the Financial Times as one of the best books of 2023. fivetimesfaster.org

He will argue that science has fallen short of setting out the full scale of the risks; that economics has consistently given governments the wrong advice on policy decisions crucial to low carbon transitions; and that climate change diplomacy has been picking the wrong battles. He will propose that in all three fields, different ideas and institutions could enable much faster progress.

Simon Sharpe is a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute, and Director of Economics for the Climate Champions Team. He is author of Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change (Cambridge University Press, 2023). He was previously Deputy Director of the UK government’s COP26 Unit, where he led international campaigns on energy, transport, land use, science and innovation.

His other roles in government included leading international climate change strategy, developing the approach to clean growth in the UK’s industrial strategy, and serving as head of private office to Ministers of State for Energy and Climate Change. He also served on diplomatic postings to China and India. Simon has published academic papers on climate change science and economics, and policy reports on climate change risk assessment, economics and diplomacy.

Chaired by Lucy Bullivant Hon FRIBA, Trustee, Temple Bar Trust.

Copies of Simon Sharpe’s book ‘Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics and Diplomacy of Climate Change’ (Cambridge University Press, 2023) will be on sale in the Wren Room at Temple Bar after the talk courtesy of The Gilded Acorn bookshop (which is based at 1 Portugal Street, WC2A 2ES, opposite the Marshall Building, LSE campus).

This event includes a complimentary networking reception with the speaker and audience members following the talk.