Existential Politics: The Real Reason Global Climate Institutions Are Failing | Dr. Jessica Green

Dr. Jessica Green, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, with cross-appointments at the School of Environment and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, shares insights from her book Existential Politics: Why Global Climate Institutions Are Failing and How to Fix Them, a courageous and incisive examination of the critical gaps in global climate governance and the urgent reforms needed to bridge them. In this compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Jessica F. Green challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions in climate policy, that climate change is fundamentally a collective action problem requiring global cooperation on emissions. Instead, she reframes it as an existential political conflict between fossil asset owners, whose trillion-dollar investments would be rendered worthless by decarbonization, and green asset owners, who stand to gain from the transition. Drawing from her book Existential Politics, Dr. Green argues that decades of climate governance have been built on the wrong diagnosis, producing technocratic tools like carbon pricing, carbon offsets, and net-zero targets that are not only ineffective but actively harmful, obscuring real power dynamics and generating public backlash. Her proposed remedy, which she calls "radical pragmatism," shifts the focus from managing tons of emissions to managing assets and capital flows, using existing levers such as green industrial policy, global corporate minimum tax, and withdrawal from fossil-fuel-friendly investment treaties to constrain fossil fuel power and accelerate the rise of renewable energy. Ultimately, Dr. Green argues that the most politically viable path forward lies not in asking citizens to sacrifice for distant climate goals, but in reframing climate action as an investment in economic security, energy independence, and everyday public goods. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Jessica Green shared key insights from her fascinating book, “Existential Politics: Why Global Climate Institutions Are Failing and How to Fix Them”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.