Rachel Kyte is a global authority on climate finance and the energy transition. Listen to her compelling arguments to re-mobilise and re-boot.

This is because the public is increasingly anxious about deepening climate realities. That’s why new communications and a new narrative are needed so urgently.

But governments continue to prevaricate and corporates won’t invest in green at the scale so urgently needed. “The key challenge is how governments talk to their citizens,” Kyte tells this TTU podcast.

Fear-mongering and an agenda of discontent need to be re-framed as hope. Then air can be cleaner, communities healthier and our planetary future more secure.

The good news? “People want to know what to do.” New initiatives for innovative democratic engagement would force leaders to step up. Let’s talk climate action in a way that inspires and mobilises everyone, especially governments and business.

But how? Honesty is crucial. “We need to come clean with people,” Kyte emphasises. Acknowledge the challenges and don’t sugarcoat reality. Instead focus on simplicity, ambition and a few readily achievable goals, like improving energy efficiency in buildings.

Finally, build a broad coalition for action that will weather political changes. Green must not seem to be just a fashionable issue for the elite. “We can’t let climate become a wedge” Kyte warns. Everyone must be on board. And fast.