How Are Cities Responding To Extreme Heat?
June 24th, 2023 Via Al Jazeera, a video look at how cities around the world are responding to extreme heat: Scorching temperatures and record breaking heat have already grabbed headlines this year as increasingly [...]
Cleveland’s Tree Canopy Is in Trouble
June 24th, 2023 Via Inside Climate News, an article on new efforts to bring more trees back to Forest City to address both climate resilience and environmental justice: Cleveland, Ohio has long been called the [...]
Can Carbon Removal Become a Trillion-Dollar Business?
June 24th, 2023 Courtesy of The Economist, a look at whether carbon removal become a trillion-dollar business: “Today we see the birth of a new species,” declared Julio Friedmann, gazing across the bleak [...]
Frigid US City Becomes Haven In Climate Change Era
June 24th, 2023 Via Terra Daily, a look at one U.S. city that may become a haven in the climate change era: Standing on the frigid coast of Lake Superior, thawing ice glistening in the northern Minnesota sun, [...]
Young Engineers Lay The Foundation For A New Generation of Sustainable Cooling In India
June 24th, 2023 Via Energy Monitor, a report on how young engineers in India are designing a cool world resilient to deadly heatwaves: In the scorching heat in a town near Delhi, Jyoti Pandey rode her scooter packed [...]
The Plan to Save New York From the Next Sandy Will Ruin the Waterfront. It Doesn’t Have To.
June 20th, 2023 Via The New York Times, commentary on the plan to save New York from the next Sandy: Last September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers unveiled its proposal to protect the greater New York and New [...]

ABOUT
BLACK SWANS GREEN SHOOTS
Black Swans / Green Shoots examines the collision between urbanization and resource scarcity in a world affected by climate change, identifying opportunities to build sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure through the use of revolutionary capital, increased awareness, innovative technologies, and smart design to make a difference in the face of global and local climate perils.

'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.