The New Global Possible: Rebuilding Optimism in the Age of Climate Crisis

by Ani Dasgupta, Christiana Figueres (Foreword by)

Overview

“A compelling and hopeful reminder that change is not only within our grasp—it is already happening.”  
—Jane Goodall

"A must-read for anyone looking for hope and optimism at a critical point in history." 
—John Kerry

Global environmental leader Ani Dasgupta takes an honest look at lagging climate action and maps out what can be done to rebuild hope for the future.

In 2015, world leaders came together in Paris and signed an agreement to save the planet. Ten years later, we have made little progress on the ground, and the climate crisis is worse than ever. We’ve mostly figured out what we need to do, but not how to get it done—and time is running out.

In this groundbreaking new book, World Resources Institute President and CEO Ani Dasgupta explores how to orchestrate change at speed and scale. How do we get countries to keep working together on climate action when multilateralism is declining? How do we harness technological innovation to protect nature, rather than destroy it? How do we dismantle entrenched power structures and rapidly transition to a clean, resilient economy?

Based on conversations with more than one hundred leaders around the world, The New Global Possible weaves together stories of unusual partnerships, collaborative leadership, and lessons learned from failure. Mining the rich history of the climate movement, Dasgupta defines the narrow path to a hopeful future—one requiring all of our collective focus and determination—and offers a radical new practice for orchestrating change for good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633310667
Publisher:	Disruption Books
Publication date:	09/09/2025
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ani Dasgupta is President and CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI), where he spearheads global efforts to drive systemic change across climate, nature, and human development. Dasgupta is a widely recognized leader in climate policy and finance, sustainable cities, and poverty alleviation. His work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, and many global media outlets. He took the helm at WRI in 2021 after seven years as Global Director of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. Prior to joining WRI, Dasgupta spent two decades at the World Bank. Dasgupta grew up in Delhi, India. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, and has two children.

Christiana Figueres is an internationally recognized leader on climate change. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010-2016, successfully directing international negotiations that culminated in the historic Paris Agreement of 2015. Together with Tom Rivett-Carnac, she is a Founding Partner of Global Optimism, a purpose-driven enterprise focused on social and environmental change, host of the podcast Outrage + Optimism, and coauthor of The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis.

Read an Excerpt

When I became the CEO, WRI was in a good place, but the world was not. In fact, society was broadly failing on the very topic Gus had founded WRI in in 1982 to fight—climate change. What kind of a leader did I need to be if my organization was doing well on paper, but the problem it was set up to solve was getting worse? I was keenly interested in examining the arc of history, to pinpoint exactly where we were in the journey to fight climate change. Where had we succeeded since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, when the world finally came together and agreed to collectively act? Where had we failed? Most critically, what was the path forward? Climate change was identified as an existential threat long before Rio, but the summit also created the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—the UN forum for countries to come together on climate. Hence, with 2022 approaching, it made sense to look deeply into what has occurred over these thirty years.

My quest to understand our progress included conversations with key people who have played an outsized role in the climate movement, some of whom once worked at WRI. These initial conversations led to many more—with over a hundred people around the world, each one with an incredible story that has helped shape our modern environmental movement and ensure our progress. This book is a result of these conversations. You will meet many of them in the pages that follow.

The picture painted by all these stories ended up much bigger than I had expected. At their core, the stories are about incredible collective progress. But they are also about how fascinating people form unusual partnerships, how leadership can come from any corner, how it may take many years to get something done, and how people sometimes lose their lives before others can move forward. The stories illustrate the messiness of real progress, with meaningful steps forward never moving in a straight line but often in a tortuous squiggle. They are about the grueling climb up mountain after mountain, with many organizations and institutions working together in almost every instance to achieve significant goals.

Despite the difficult road we have taken to get here, we are still far from our destination, with time running out. The path forward has many more mountains—different and much taller. But what interests me most in these stories is not the mountains themselves, but how we climbed them. Rather than celebrate our progress toward expanding renewable-energy use by 2030, for example, why not emphasize how we can use that information to clear the next hurdle—namely, how we might reduce fossil fuel use further as demand continues to outstrip supply. We have chosen to ignore the lessons of the past, the very knowledge that will help us climb the mountains in front of us much faster than before. We have focused on what our goals are while overlooking how to achieve them—how to orchestrate necessary change.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Christiana Figueres
Preface by James Harmon
 

Introduction: Evidence for Hope
1. Multilateralism: Countries Can Collaborate
2. Technology: We Must Innovate for Good
3. Business: The Limits of Voluntary Action
4. Justice: It Is Not a Choice
5. Cities: Laboratories for Change
6. Economy: A New Growth Story
Conclusion: Orchestrating Change for Good

Editorial Reviews

“A compelling and hopeful reminder that change is not only within our grasp—it is already happening.”  
—Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

“Dasgupta masterfully highlights the untold stories of progress and shares invaluable lessons that chart a bold and actionable blueprint to follow for the clean energy transition. A must-read for anyone looking for hope and optimism at a critical point in history." 
—John F. Kerry, 68th US Secretary of State

“Ani Dasgupta’s The New Global Possible arrives as a beacon of stubborn optimism and clear-eyed realism. More than just another call to action, it is a masterful exploration of how change actually happens—a well-researched argument and an eloquent guidebook for the necessary transformation ahead.”
–Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, cofounder of Global Optimism

“Through compelling stories and clear analysis, Ani demonstrates that a sustainable and thriving future is within our reach . . . Every CEO should read this book, as should anyone committed to building a better future for both people and planet.” 
—Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group (IKEA)

“Ani Dasgupta offers a powerful and necessary vision in The New Global Possible. At a time when the world needs leadership and action, this provides bold solutions and a clear path toward a sustainable future. An essential read for those who refuse to accept the status quo and are ready to transform the world.” 
—Iván Duque, former President of Colombia

“With his new book, The New Global Possible, Ani Dasgupta has proven himself to be a hopeful realist, an honest broker, a solid partner, and a visionary leader.”
—Gina McCarthy, first White House National Climate Advisor and former US EPA Administrator

 “In a world crowded with climate headlines and half-formed promises, The New Global Possible does something rare: It focuses on the how.”
—Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International

“By showing how local action creates systemic change, the book offers readers inspiration and a roadmap toward a more equitable and sustainable future.”
—Gloria Walton, President and CEO of The Solutions Project

"Even climate veterans will discover fresh insights in these pages. Most critically, Dasgupta offers clear-eyed analysis of how businesses, governments, and citizens can realign efforts to achieve the urgent progress required—including both high-level principles and specific, actionable measures. Challenging times lie ahead, but this book can help facilitate the necessary conversations to help get the world on track.”
—Justin Worland, senior correspondent, TIME

"The New Global Possible tells compelling stories of positive results and lays out the critical framework necessary for accelerating solutions. A must-read for all sectors—multilaterals, corporate, civil society, cities—engaged in advancing meaningful climate action that creates equity across the planet.”
—Frances Beinecke, President Emerita, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

“A pragmatic roadmap for corporate leaders to align their strategies with the principles of equity and low-carbon development, unlocking the immense economic potential of a greener global economy.”
—Jamshyd Godrej, Chair, Godrej Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.

“The journey is long, but Ani Dasgupta’s The New Global Possible shares powerful stories that ignite hope and determination, sowing the seeds for the transformations our planet urgently needs.”
—Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships, World Resources Institute

“It’s one thing to talk about needing a solution, but something else to identify the data and experiences needed to make it happen. . . At each step, Ani looks to pair insights with an optimistic view of the future to motivate action. This book adds to these ongoing efforts.”
—Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard

“Eye-opening. . . this book provides a needed spark to reignite collective action for a safer future for ourselves and our planet.” 
—Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, German Federal Foreign Office

“In this decisive decade, Ani Dasgupta offers us more than a roadmap—he gives us a compass. This is a rare book: a blend of grounded realism and moral courage, rich with practical insights and vivid stories that show we can build a better future—if we act together, and act now.”
—Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever

“This timely book reveals through real-world examples, many drawn from WRI experience, that it’s possible to reverse the current trajectory toward environmental disaster.”
—Robert Repetto, editor of The Global Possible

“Gives readers a rare opportunity to hear from one of the world's leading environmentalists. . . captivating and, above all, hopeful. A must-read.”
—Jeremy Rifkin, author of Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe

“The path to a sustainable future has many twists and turns, driven by the interplay of politics, technology, economics, finance, and citizen voice. This terrific book captures this exciting journey beautifully, shedding light on the setbacks as well as the triumphs, and explaining what causes the difference.”
—Sir Andrew Steer, Georgetown University and the London School of Economics

“A new model of growth is in our hands. . . Ani Dasgupta’s valuable book sets out what we have to do, and in particular, shows both the centrality and the feasibility of international collaboration.”
—Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government and Chair of the Global School of Sustainability and the Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics

"Readers daunted by the scale of the climate emergency will find much stimulating food for thought here. . . a wide-ranging, ambitious call to action.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Tackling the complex issue of climate change, Ani Dasgupta’s The New Global Possible offers hopeful solutions.”
—Foreword Reviews

“Hope is a weapon—and it’s one Ani Dasgupta wields well. In fact, Dasgupta . . . sees a full arsenal of tools to address the climate crisis—many of them are already in use. We just need to find ways to deploy these solutions at scale.”
—Matt Berical, Yahoo! News

From the Publisher

2025-05-21
Net zero will require technological innovation, government coordination, urban planning, and steady amelioration of poverty and inequality, according to this far-reaching manifesto on climate policy.

Dasgupta, the president of the World Resources Institute, warns that decarbonization is flagging and urges a systematic transition to a green economy based on several key themes, which he illustrates with concrete examples. New technologies must be created, he asserts, citing WRI’s development of satellite systems to monitor deforestation, a driver of rising emissions. Cities will be “laboratories for change,” Dasgupta forecasts, from rapid-transit bus schemes to crafting “15-minute cities” that provide everything residents need within a 15-minute walk. The author argues that decarbonization must prioritize the needs of Indigenous people, poor communities, the Global South, and displaced workers, and he suggests that rich nations contribute to a climate adaptation fund for developing countries. Dasgupta finally posits that decarbonization can be an economic boon and extols Green New Deal programs like Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Walmart’s experiment with stores that lower emissions using LEDs, green rooftops, and auxiliary power supplies, all while improving efficiency and cutting costs. Dasgupta’s treatise is a wide-ranging, ambitious call to action, with many urgent, perhaps impossible, targets. (“To avoid the worst climate impacts, the world must slash emissions 43 percent by 2030…relative to 2019 levels,” he writes—a tall order given that global emissions are still rising.) Fortunately, he makes his case compelling with real-world specifics and stories of leaders who achieved remarkable progress with limited means, like Wangari Maathai, who won a Nobel Prize for her grassroots tree-planting campaign in Kenya. Dasgupta explains it all in straightforward and very readable prose that cuts the wonkery with empathy. (“I understand the helplessness when people ask, ‘Does it really matter if I give up meat?’ or ‘Will switching to an electric vehicle even make a difference?’ And yet the answer is always:Yes, it does matter.”) Readers daunted by the scale of the climate emergency will find much stimulating food for thought here.

An incisive, inspiring call to combat climate change.

Kirkus Reviews