After the disappointment of the COP30 communique, Simon Sharpe cuts through the noise with a very different message: “Reality is way ahead of negotiations.” 

In this TTU podcast, Simon unwraps optimism. He explains why “twice as much is going to be invested into clean energy… than into fossil fuels” this year. Last year “over 90% of the new power generating capacity… was renewables.”  

Simon is both a visionary and challenger of orthodoxy. He sets out the practical actions that matter now.   

The big principle? “First build, then break.” Build the new clean systems first, then the old fossil-fuel-based systems will eventually fall away.  

“You do not need 198 countries to change the economy.” There is a more productive way to achieve results “Focus the diplomacy on problem solving rather than goal setting.”  

“If you want to beat the fossil fuels… you have to destroy demand for them.” 

EVs already “about 20% of global car sales, up from about 2% only six years ago.” 

 Simon also highlights the successes achieved by much smaller, but highly influential coalitions. Various deals bringing together China, India, Brazil and the EU, show how precisely targeted regulation can shift global markets years faster than what huge multilateral negotiations achieve.  

This is a clear, compelling, and positive conversation about what is actually working and why it must be accelerated.  

📄 Full transcript available on our website. 

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