New College’s Professor Dieter Helm argues climate policy needs a dose of realism in new book

Professor Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy and Fellow of Economics at New College, has published a new book arguing that tackling climate change requires a more honest assessment of where the world stands today. Climate Realism: Facing the Facts about Energy was published by Cambridge University Press on 8 October.

The book is motivated by a concern that, despite decades of debate and policy commitments, atmospheric carbon levels continue to rise and a genuine global energy transition has yet to take hold. It examines global energy demand, carbon emissions, net zero policies, renewable energy, nuclear power and carbon offsets, challenging the assumption that current approaches are delivering the progress often claimed.

Professor Helm makes the case that climate policy must be grounded in facts, costs and incentives, and in practical solutions rather than wishful thinking. The book seeks to bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality, highlighting what is working, what is not, and why current policies often fall short.

Rather than promoting optimism or pessimism, it advocates realism: facing the true costs of pollution, applying the polluter-pays principle, and focusing on practical measures that can make a genuine difference. The hope is that readers will come away better informed, ready to think critically about climate and energy policy, and willing to confront difficult trade-offs.

Reviewing the book, The Times science columnist Tom Whipple wrote: “Helm commits what is heresy for those on one side of the debate: he accepts climate change is happening, is worrying and is serious. He also commits a heresy for the other side: renewables, he argues, have proven very costly and, so far, not terribly effective. This book is important – and maybe we need to face reality.”