How ‘Super Roofs’ Reward Insurers, Cat Bond Investors and Homeowners
December 1st, 2025
Via Bloomberg, a look at novel program run by North Carolina’s insurer of last resort that incentivizes homeowners to install roofs that can stand up to extreme winds: North Carolina has issued a $600 million catastrophe bond to fund disaster preparedness and reward homeowners for installing “super roofs” that are resistant to wind damage. The […]
Read more »China Wants Electric Cars To Feed Power Back To The Grid
November 17th, 2025
Via Rest of World, a look at how the world’s largest EV fleet could become a giant battery network if economic and technical hurdles are overcome: China plans 5,000 bidirectional charging stations by 2027. Early trials offer drivers up to $200 monthly in electricity buyback credits. High infrastructure costs and state pricing threaten commercial viability. […]
Read more »The Shopping Mall: The Climate Bunker We Already Have?
October 26th, 2025
Via Next City, commentary exploring how – while many thought the shopping mall was a monument to collapse – it may actually have a new life as a climate shelter: When it’s 115? degrees outside and wildfire smoke turns the sky orange, the mall may be the most democratic shelter left in America. Cooled, accessible […]
Read more »How River and Lake Water Is Cooling Buildings
September 5th, 2025
Via Wired, a look at how networks of pipes and heat exchangers can transfer excess heat from buildings into nearby bodies of water—but as the world warms, the cooling potential of some water courses is now diminishing. The Louvre, one of the greatest art museums in the world—home to the Mona Lisa—has an uneasy relationship with […]
Read more »Cities Are Heating Up. Better Infrastructure Can Cool Them Down.
July 20th, 2025
Via WRI, a look at how better infrastructure can help cool cities: In a city, a grassy park might be a place to stretch out with a book, an asphalt road your route to work, a building wall a canvas for a mural. But beyond their familiar roles, each of these surfaces plays a critical […]
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 »'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.