DARPA Thinks Walls of Oysters Could Protect Shores Against Hurricanes
October 11th, 2024
Via Wired, a report on how the US defense research agency is funding three universities to engineer reef structures that will be colonized by corals and bivalves and absorb the power of future storms: On October 10, 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base on the Gulf of Mexico, a pillar of American air superiority, found itself under […]
Read more »Sustainable Building Effort Reaches New Heights With Wooden Skyscrapers
October 10th, 2024
Via Knowable Magazine, a look at how wood engineered for strength and safety offers architects an alternative to carbon-intensive steel and concrete: At the University of Toronto, just across the street from the football stadium, workers are putting up a 14-story building with space for classrooms and faculty offices. What’s unusual is how they’re building […]
Read more »When Hurricane Helene Hit, This Disaster-Proof Florida Neighborhood Kept The Lights On
October 7th, 2024
Via Fast Company, a look at a new development on Florida’s coast was designed to be as hurricane-proof as possible. So far, it’s working: Last Thursday, when Hurricane Helene hit the small town of Cortez, Florida—about four hours south of the eye of the storm—a storm surge filled the streets with waist-deep water near a […]
Read more »How To Build An AC That Will Get The World Through Hotter Summers
October 6th, 2024
Via The Washington Post, a look at how – in order to combat stickier weather – air conditioners need to go from cooling machines to humidity gulpers: In this tropical city, where humidity levels oscillate between muggy and oppressive for most of the year, Santosh Naykar’s only defense against the stickiness is a 14-year-old window […]
Read more »The People Fleeing Climate Disasters Are Going to Transform the American South
October 6th, 2024
Via the New York Times, a look at how people will move to avoid future climate disasters: When Hurricane Helene, the 420-mile-wide, slow-spinning conveyor belt of wind and water drowned part of Florida’s coastline and then barged its path northward through North Carolina last week, it destroyed more than homes and bridges. It shook people’s […]
Read more »Hurricane Helene Destroyed Roads. Here’s How to Rebuild—and Flood-Proof Them for Next Time
October 5th, 2024
Via Wired, a look at how – as it becomes clear that climate change devastation can hit anywhere – engineers are considering how best to protect vital thoroughfares from intense storms: A week after Hurricane Helene ripped through the southeastern United States, parts of western North Carolina devastated by the storm are still facing more than […]
Read more »'Black Swans' are highly improbable events that come as a surprise, have major disruptive effects, and that are often rationalized after the fact as if they had been predictable to begin with. In our rapidly warming world, such events are occurring ever more frequently and include wildfires, floods, extreme heat, and drought.
'Green Shoots' is a term used to describe signs of economic recovery or positive data during a downturn. It references a period of growth and recovery, when plants start to show signs of health and life, and, therefore, has been employed as a metaphor for a recovering economy.
It is my hope that Black Swans / Green Shoots will help readers understand both climate-activated risk and opportunity so that you may invest in, advise, or lead organizations in the context of increasing pressures of global urbanization, resource scarcity, and perils relating to climate change. I believe that the tools of business and finance can help individuals, businesses, and global society make informed choices about who and what to protect, and I hope that this blog provides some insight into the policy and private sector tools used to assess investments in resilient reinforcement, response, or recovery.