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 »Nowhere in America Is Safe From Climate-Fueled Storms and Fires
October 4th, 2024
Via Bloomberg, a look at how billion-dollar weather disasters have touched every corner of the US in the past five years: Forecasters had warned for days that Hurricane Helene was likely to cause widespread devastation. But when the powerful storm struck Florida and barreled through the eastern US last week, killing more than 180 people […]
Read more »Cities: Unprepared For Impact of Climate Change
October 1st, 2024
Via Yale School of Public Health, a report on cities lack of readiness for climate change: Proactive action is needed to make cities more resilient to climate change and capable of protecting community health, according to a new report released today by the Yale School of Public Health, the Resilient Cities Network, and The Rockefeller […]
Read more »Climate Migration Is Here. The U.S. Must Invest Accordingly
September 30th, 2024
Via The Washington Post, commentary on the need for the U.S. to realistically assess which geographies are becoming unlivable and which are well suited to larger population settlement. It should then offer incentives for migration toward the latter and away from the former — and direct infrastructure spending accordingly. This week, parts of the Pacific […]
Read more »Finding a Fix for Playgrounds That Are Too Hot to Touch
September 28th, 2024
Courtesy of Inside Climate News, an article on Arizonan researchers who are studying playgrounds where the equipment gets so hot it can burn kids’ skin. As heat worsens nationwide, other communities will need to take note. It was just before 8 a.m., yet the temperature was already nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit as members of Arizona […]
Read more »How a Children’s Playground Is Helping With Flood Mitigation in a Small, Historic New Jersey City
September 28th, 2024
Courtesy of Inside Climate News, a look at how flood-prone Hoboken, New Jersey, has opened a play area for its youngest residents that also doubles as storage for stormwater runoff. For a city that’s almost small enough to fit inside Manhattan’s Central Park just a few miles away, Hoboken, New Jersey, has seen a lot […]
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.