You're listening to TED Talks Daily. I'm your host, Elise Hugh. Climate change is happening

faster than politicians are reacting to it, and it's still not the top priority for many

countries' leaders. In today's talk, economist Angela Francis has a novel proposal. Instead of prioritizing climate policy, she thinks we

should put pocketbook issues first, and that's the answer, to go green. She'll explain from the

2019 TEDx London Women stage. I remember climbing to the top of our airing cupboard at home, I must have been six or seven,

and trying to flick my wrists in the right way to make the spiderweb shoot out.

I thought I had some superpowers. I just had to work out what they were.

It was a disappointing afternoon.

In the end, it didn't come with a suit, but I found there aren't many people like me in the

environment sector, and being a black economist who grew up in Derby is my superpower in the fight

for the environment.

And we're facing huge challenges, but they are not insurmountable.

People have been working on climate change and nature restoration for years, and they

know what we need to do, and the sooner we act, the easier it will be.

And we're not talking about a few green sectors.

We're talking about changing the whole economy,

using investment and policy to reward people and businesses for the decisions they take

that lower carbon and restore nature rather than degrade it.

The problem is politicians aren't acting at the speed or scale we need them to,

because they think the public want them to do something else first.

Brexit, building more houses, the economy, Brexit, health sector, Brexit.

How do we put the environment at the top of that list?

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