Atlanta Embracing A Cheap, Effective Way To Beat Urban Heat: ‘Cool Roofs’
July 7th, 2025
Via Grist, a look at how – with white or reflective roofs significantly reducing temperatures – Atlanta is the latest city to mandate their adoption: Walk outside into 100-degree heat wearing a black shirt, and you’ll feel a whole lot hotter than if you were wearing white. Now think about your roof: If it’s also […]
Read more »Cities Are Heating Up Planet: How They Can Do More To Fight Climate Change
July 4th, 2025
Via Illuminem, a look at how cities are heating up the planet – how they can do more to fight climate change: Cities have a central role to play tackling climate change. They contribute 67–72% of the greenhouse gas emissions which are heating up the planet. At the same time, cities are increasingly at risk from global warming. Flood, […]
Read more »This Paint Sweats To Cool Off Buildings. No Energy Required.
June 25th, 2025
Via Anthropocene Magazine, a look at an innovative paint that replenishes its water supply by absorbing rain and water vapor. Its porous structure holds the water and then slowly releases it much like sweat. Ultra-bright white paints are the go-to when it comes to cooling buildings. Those paints work by reflecting as much of the sun as […]
Read more »Reforesting the Elm City
June 21st, 2025
Via Yale Alumni Magazine, a look at how the Urban Resources Initiative is planting thousands of trees to make New Haven a cooler city: At first, planting street trees in New Haven was nothing more than a job for William “The Muscle” Tisdale. “I never paid too much attention to trees,” he says. He appreciated steady […]
Read more »Copenhagen: Adapting To Warmer World With Rain Tunnels and Sponge Parks
June 20th, 2025
Via NPR, a look at how Copenhagen is adapting to a warmer world with rain tunnels and ‘sponge parks’ Copenhagen, Denmark, is expected to receive 30% more rainfall by the end of the century. The city is responding with a massive long-term adaptation plan. Enghaveparken, pictured here, is part of that plan. The park was […]
Read more »George Lucas’ Spaceship of a Museum Lands in L.A. with a Wonderful Green Design Elements
June 19th, 2025
Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times, a report on an innovative new museum in Los Angeles that features a number of innovative elements of green design: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, under construction in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, is set to open next year. The Lucas Museum’s futuristic design turns heads, but the massive […]
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.