4 hard truths about capitalism and climate | Steve Howard

About this episode

Steve Howard discusses the challenges of capitalism in addressing climate change and proposes a plan for green innovation.

For decades, investor and business leader Steve Howard watched companies pour money and effort into sustainability initiatives ... and still fall short. The problem isn’t a lack of will, he says; it’s that capitalism and climate have been wired to work against each other. He shares four realities that explain why even well-intentioned businesses fail at climate action — as well as a plan to flip the system, making green innovation so powerful the market can’t resist it. After, Modupe talks about why ignoring climate change isn't an option. Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at  attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Modupe

Guest: Steve Howard

Topics covered

• capitalism
• climate change
• sustainability
• business strategy
• green innovation

Keywords

• capitalism
• climate action
• sustainability initiatives
• green innovation
• business failure

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TED, Acast, TED Business

More episodes of TED Business

• Why the world is still not built for women | Virginia Santy · June 8, 2026 · 17 min
• The surprising origins of Southwest Airlines with Jacob Goldstein · June 1, 2026 · 26 min
• The secret to making the right career decisions with Patty Stonesifer | from WorkLife with Molly Graham · May 25, 2026 · 39 min
• 3 things I wish I knew when I was broke | Vivian Tu · May 18, 2026 · 27 min
• How displaced people are driving local economies | Julienne Oyler · May 11, 2026 · 12 min
• 4 relationship traps that lead to burnout | Eric Quintane · May 4, 2026 · 21 min