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Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change Kindle Edition

by Simon Sharpe (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 80 ratings

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We need to act five times faster to avoid dangerous climate change. 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, economics, and diplomacy, so that we can act fast enough to stay safe.

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About the Author

Simon Sharpe is Director of Economics for the Climate Champions Team and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. He designed and led flagship international campaigns of the UK's Presidency of the UN climate change talks (COP 26) in 2020–2021; worked as the head of private office to a minister of energy and climate change in the UK Government; and has served on diplomatic postings in China and India. He has published influential academic papers and created groundbreaking international initiatives in climate change risk assessment, economics, policy, and diplomacy. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

‘Pace is truly what matters in the climate fight - and the idea in this book that intrigues me the most is that a certain kind of reductionism has blinded us to the common interests that need to guide our work if it's going to happen in time.’ Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

‘Now more than ever, there is an obvious need for a full assessment of the risks of climate change to be given to heads of government and their advisers. And yet still this is missing … I strongly support this book, which brings the risks of climate change and potential solutions to a wider audience. There is no-one I can think of in the world who could do this better than Simon Sharpe.’ Sir David King, Founder and Chair, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University; Former Chief Scientific Adviser to the British Government; former UK Climate Envoy

‘This book needs to be read, and its recommendations embraced, by all those seeking to make rapid progress in the fight to preserve a habitable planet. Simon has witnessed first-hand how progress is being impeded by … [and] his book presents a blueprint for the way climate science should be conducted and presented, how thinking about the economy should change, and international diplomacy be redesigned. It's a much-needed new take on a problem we've been wrestling with for decades but making only sporadic progress in addressing.’ Baroness Bryony Worthington, leading creator of the UK’s Climate Change Act; former Europe Director, Environmental Defense Fund; member of the UK House of Lords

‘In a crowded market, this book promises to stand out head and shoulders above the rest as a seminal, timely, and much needed synthesis of the lessons learned from five decades of effort by scientists, the business community, and politicians on how to address the threat of climate catastrophe. Simon Sharpe has been a thought leader at the core of diplomatic and government activity … The lessons learned that he describes, and the approaches he recommends, could genuinely cut Gordian knots and allow new levels of progress. I cannot recommend this book more highly.’ Chris Rapley CBE, former Director of the Science Museum, former Director of the British Antarctic Survey

‘The Race To Zero is the biggest ever global campaign to deliver a zero carbon future as soon as possible. It is an exercise in radical collaboration to drive non-linear change in every sector of the economy. Simon Sharpe's informative and accessible book will provide a manual for scientists, CEOs and policy makers to work together to deliver systemic transformation much faster than current efforts.’ Nigel Topping, High Level Climate Action Champion, UNFCCC COP26

‘As the world is suffocating under extreme weather events, widespread food and water scarcity, destruction of ecosystems, and a series of other interrelated climate-linked crises, Simon Sharpe’s book is a breath of fresh air … Five Times Faster takes you on a captivating - yet alarming - journey through the complexities of climate change … Simon’s book is an important leap in the right direction.’ Mariana Mazzucato, University College, London, and author of Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism

'We need to act five times faster to avoid dangerous climate change. So says the policy insider author of this look at how the real blocks to progress might be the ideas and institutions that are meant to be helping us; from the science that is pulling its punches, to diplomacy that is picking the wrong battles.' The Bookseller

‘An absorbing new insider’s account.’ Pilita Clark, Financial Times

'In his excellent and informative book Five Times Faster, Simon Sharpe proposes solutions to climate change challenges on three fronts: science, economics, and policy … an important book that focuses on the too often overlooked problem of pace and the need to turn procrastination into bold action.' Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews

‘… Sharpe's prose is crisp and urgent …’ Publishers Weekly

‘Five Times Faster is based on robust analysis and succeeds in treading the fine line between optimism and realism. If you're serious about tackling the climate crisis, make time to read it.’ Bob Ward, The Observer

'… packed with the insights gained from years of close involvement in processes that are obscure from the outside.' Prospect Magazine

'It has become apparent that, just as renewables must replace coal power stations, we need entirely new ways of thinking about the climate dilemma. Three books published this year attempt to do just this for fields that run from science and economics to politics … The most provocative is the non-fiction Five Times Faster, an insider’s account of government efforts to cut emissions by former British civil servant Simon Sharpe.' Pilita Clark, Financial Times --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BQC95JRL
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press (April 6, 2023)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 6, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3325 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Up to 4 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 100932649X

Best Sellers Rank: #426,726 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #312 in Environmental Policy
- #10,471 in Politics & Social Sciences (Kindle Store)

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4.4 80 ratings

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4.4 out of 5

80 global ratings

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RobertH

Said like it needs to be said

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024

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I've tracked climate science, policy and economics for over four decades. I have expertise. Having studied and worked as a geochemist, ecologist, and environmental economist, I've been frustrated by what is not being said (e.g., the historical chemical record suggests strongly that we are going to get hotter/dryer/wetter much faster). Here is an author who says it. Well-written and well argued, Simon Sharpe provides keen analysis and argument that, frankly, lines up with what we really know. His explorations of the inherent limitations of modelling, from science to economics, the nonsensical conclusions and pollyannaish projections that parade around as 'truth', and the severe lack of courageous taking stock is urgently needed. As an advisor to political leadership, he is refreshingly realistic. His discussion of systemic frailty - social, economic, ecological - is a much-needed cold shower. And his challenge to the lack of collective imagination is equally sobering. If you want to get underneath the narratives and explore a cultural critique as to why more action is needed faster, this book will take you there. Also, to note, I really appreciated the book's structure. Sharpe offers useful GPS - 'we just discussed A, now we are going to explore B, and here is how they are connected.' This makes it possible to cover a lot of nuanced ground and keep up with a broad thinker who comes from the heart and has a lot to say.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A Roadmap for More Rapid Climate Action

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023

I've been following the scientific dialogue about climate change for decades and actively working on climate impacts and adaptation for over ten years. Five Times Faster is the best book on climate policy, bar none, that I've read. Instead of handwringing over the lack of progress, Sharpe offers an incisive analysis of why that's the case and pragmatic proposals for changing it. If enough of the right people read it, the book could be a real game changer!

2 people found this helpful

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John Taylor

recommended

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2023

Very helpful book! Congrats! Highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

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AndreaRomance

Persuasive

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2023

This book persuasively explains how asking the wrong questions makes it impossible to put the right information in the hands of policymakers when it comes to climate change. It's wordy, which makes it a bit of a slog for laypeople. But it does a great job of reframing the approach governments need to take to solve this urgent problem.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3 people found this helpful

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Tom A

Brilliant and insightful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2023

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Sharpe's experience and insights have brought him an understanding of how limitations in mainstream thinking are holding us back from the right actions on climate change.

Sharpe argues persuasively that isn't just that vested interests hold us back - although of course they do - it's that if we are thinking of how to change the system we must identify and work on the points of leverage where we can influence things. The success of electric cars and renewable energy have been driven by people doing just this; the challenge for governments, businesses and people is to find the next leverage points and direct their influence appropriately. And to do it they must use the kind of systems thinking that is not often an instinctive line of thought to the science, economics and diplomatic professions that have developed in other contexts to those we find now.

A must read for anyone who is looking for the opportunities to influence and mitigate the slow motion but severe collision between human activities and the environment. Insights into the problems and how they might be helped leap off the pages. Read it and share it so as to help bring forwards the five times faster that is needed.

One person found this helpful

MM

Awful!!!

Reviewed in India on December 2, 2023

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Don’t waste money and time….. book is crap, full of spelling mistakes and poor articulation.

FH

Good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2024

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Half way through

mme

innovative book about an important subject

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2023

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Few topics are as important as climate change. The author should be credited for taking an innovative approach to this complex issue. Looking at the issue of climate change from a systems wide angle, the author delivers interesting insights with profound implications for areas outside climate change, such as economic growth.
The book gets bogged down in technical minutiae at times, but that’s a minor fault . The author has deeply thought about how our society can make progress on the environment, and everyone curious about our humanity will solve( or not solve ) our pressing environmental issues, should read this book.

One person found this helpful

Sophie

New perspectives and good ideas

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2023

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I found this book fascinating. It's great the way it gives an insight into the workings of government and international negotiations, and the role played in these by scientists and economists. I felt it gave an excellent overview of the topics as well as going into details. It creates a clear picture of why we haven't made enough progress yet on averting climate disaster. It shows how serious the risks are and reveals that politicians tend not to be aware of the extent of the danger.

The author draws on his experience to suggest how we can approach the problems differently and get much faster change. He describes useful steps that are being taken, and how we can build on these.

The book is written in a very readable way, and while the descriptions of the risks are sobering, the ideas for change are heartening.

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