Dieter Helm
The Strategist
The long view, patient, analytical, playing several moves ahead.
Dieter Helm is a prominent academic and policy advisor focused on climate change and energy policy. This interview reveals his strategic approach to addressing complex environmental issues, emphasizing the need for realistic targets and effective governance.
“And so he comes back to have a look at your carbon diary. Find out what you're actually doing and then work out what are the easy things to do which would improve the position because we all individually have a responsibility in this frame too.”
“There are plenty of technologies out there coming down the track. Where I depart from conventional wisdom is while I think that wind and solar have very important contributions to make, and I'm very pro both, and I think that both should be subsidised because I don't think they're cost competitive now.”
“Seabed, etc., and good wind flows. So we should do offshore wind. And I'm very pleased we've done it and I'm very pleased the costs are lower than I thought they were going to be, but they're not as low as people think they are. But it's a great thing. And we should experiment more.”
“Well, but if it's all going in that direction and the costs are tumbling everywhere, then you have to ask yourself, you know, leading politicians tell us in Britain that renewables are 10 times cheaper than fossil fuels, et cetera. You have to say, well, you know, the market will do this stuff. Now, I don't believe that.”
The Rest Is Politics: Leading — 69. The brutal truth about net zero and how to vanquish climate populists, with Dieter Helm
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