The Climate Diplomat

With plenty of sardonic asides and cheeky anecdotes, this account of more than a decade of climate talks is accessible to general readers but has enough previously unknown detail to satisfy the COP nerd ... in some of its best passages this book reads like a briskly paced thriller * Fiona Harvey, The Guardian *
A pleasingly undiplomatic and revealing memoir -- Pilita Clark * Financial Times *
Unique ... Nobody else could have written this book, and it shines a valuable light on the patient, unsung work of diplomacy. I finished the book thankful for the largely invisible work of people like Peter Betts, who have dedicated their careers to difficult conversations on behalf of us all. * Jeremy Williams, The Earthbound Report *
There is nobody better on climate change and international negotiations. * Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband *
We owe to him, in my view, the Paris Agreement. * Rt. Hon. John Gummer, Lord Deben, Chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee *
He had a vision of where we all needed to go and vision of what we needed to do to get there. * Todd Stern, US Special Envoy for Climate Change *
I have nothing but the deepest admiration for his incredible contribution over the years and his continued commitment to climate action in the face of great personal challenge. * Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC 2010–2018 *
Both inspiring and heartbreaking ... a work of great insight * Nick Robins, Chair of Just Transition Finance Lab, LSE *
One of the world's most experienced environmental negotiators * Financial Times *
Pete Betts is a legend of UNFCCC diplomacy * Simon Sharpe, author of Five Times Sharper: Rethinking the Science, Economics and Diplomacy of Climate Change *
This is the definitive history of the global negotiations over climate policy over the last twenty five years, written by the man at the centre of all important discussions. Pete Betts makes us realise just how complicated and difficult these discussions have been and his achievement in gradually pulling all the world's nations into a shared approach to emissions reduction was remarkable. The writing is simple and candid, and not afraid to criticise those who wanted to use the annual conferences of the world's nations to push forward their personal agenda. But throughout we see how utterly devoted Pete Betts was to herding the world's diverse societies into shared and fair contributions to reducing the threat from climate change. * Chris Goodall *