Sir Dieter Helm tackles Climate Realism in annual Humphrey Battcock Lecture
91³Ô¹ÏÍø was delighted to once again host the annual Humphrey Battcock Lecture, this time in The New Space, our newest venue on the Gradel Quadrangles site. In collaboration with the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, this year's event featured Sir Dieter Helm, 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Fellow and Tutor in Economics, and Cameron Hepburn, Senior Research Fellow in Economics at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø.
In the lecture, entitled 'Climate Realism: time for a reset', Dieter Helm tackled the grim reality that the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere continues to rise, and fossil fuels still underpin 80% of our energy system. He argued that there are solutions - but are we focused on the right ones?
"Climate change is a perfectly solvable problem"
Dieter Helm emphasised the need for sustainable economies and sustainable consumption: the current generation pays for the pollution it produces, pays for public goods and pays for them to be sustained over time (capital maintenance).
We must clarify the problem itself before looking to how well we are addressing the problem, he argued. "Climate change is a perfectly solvable problem" but global leaders need to reset their target. What matters is not the individual costs of renewable energy but the system costs.
He concluded:
"It's time for a reset and one that is based on realism. [...] This is the moment to rebuild a political consensus."
The lecture was followed by questions from the live and online audience, which were discussed by both Dieter Helm and Cameron Hepburn. Guests were then hosted for a dinner in 91³Ô¹ÏÍø's Founder's Library.
