China: Making Cities ‘Spongy’ Could Help Fight Flooding
October 5th, 2023 Courtesy of NPR, a report on China’s ‘sponge city’ effort: In the shade of a willow tree, Li Tao and his buddy dabble lines in a slow-moving river channel and occasionally pull out [...]
Underground Thermal Energy Networks: Becoming Crucial To US’s Energy Future
October 4th, 2023 Via MIT Technology Review, an article examining the growing role of underground thermal energy networks in the U.S.: how Thirteen US states are now implementing underground thermal energy networks to [...]
California Looks To Add Solar and Transmission Along Highways
October 4th, 2023 Via Canary Media, a look how many states are building solar next to highways – but only one uses them as transmission corridors. A new bill orders California to explore both options: There’s [...]
How Efficient Buildings Can Help India Meet Its Climate Goals
October 3rd, 2023 Via India Spend, a look at the role that improved building efficiency can help India meets its climate goals, a sector which currently consumes 37% of the country’s total annual primary energy, [...]
Unlocking the Power of Sustainable Cooling: Energy-Efficient Solutions in Southeast Asia
October 3rd, 2023 Via Clean Cooling Collaborative, a report on sustainable cooling solutions in Southeast Asia: Over the next two decades, there will be an estimated 300 million air conditioners (ACs) installed across [...]
Blue Water Factories in China: The Future of Wastewater Treatment
October 3rd, 2023 Via The Source, a look at how sustainable wastewater treatment can contribute to China’s resourceful future: Since the 1980s, China’s urban water infrastructure has grown and developed [...]

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.