The Pragmatic Climate Reset with Michael Liebreich

In this live recorded episode, Amy sits down with Michael Liebreich — founder of New Energy Finance, CEO at Liebreich Associates, co-managing partner at EcoPragma Capital, adviser to governments and industry, and host of Cleaning Up — to explore his call for a Pragmatic Climate Reset.Michael argues that the climate conversation has drifted into extremes. Doom on one side. Techno-optimism on the other. His reset calls for something different: more realism, less noise, and a clearer focus on the solutions already working at scale.This conversation moves through politics, COP, UK energy strategy, grid bottlenecks, hydrogen hype, data centres, and the economics of electrification. Michael brings a rare mix of engineering logic, market insight and straight talking honesty — offering one of the clearest explanations of where the transition stands today.In this episode you’ll learn:Why the climate debate needs a resetWhat Michael means by a Pragmatic Climate ResetWhy electrification becomes inevitable when you follow the economicsWhy the hard “4 percent problem” distracts from the easy “96 percent”How political narratives shape the pace of climate actionWhy locational pricing could avoid billions in grid wasteWhat data centre growth really means for energy demandWhy hydrogen has become a seductive distractionWhy behaviour change and public sentiment now matter more than everWhat a realistic, practical path to faster deployment looks likeWhat Michael is genuinely optimistic about heading into 2026📚 Resources & Links Michael Liebreich – Cleaning Up podcast The Pragmatic Climate Reset – Part 1 and Part 2🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, policy leaders and thinkers shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy. First Tuesday of every month. Tickets: earthset.co⭐ If you enjoyed this episode:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare it with someone working on the transition