Amassing Fans: Mass Timber Shifting How Commercial Buildings Are Built In East Texas
October 19th, 2023
Via The Texas Tribune, a report on how mass timber is growing in popularity – globally, mass timber construction projects are expected to reach more than 24,000 by 2034 – and, so far, at least 134 mass timber projects are in progress or completed in Texas. The first such project was a six-story office building […]
Read more »Designing For Disaster: Tsunami House
October 19th, 2023
Via HeatMap, a look at how an architect built a house to withstand mudslides: Dan Nelson has inadvertently become an expert in resilient design because of where he lives and builds houses: Washington state. His architecture firm, Designs Northwest Architects, specializes in complex residential projects in and around the Puget Sound where earthquake risk runs […]
Read more »Rising Seas Will Tighten Vise on Miami Even for People Who Are Not Flooded
October 18th, 2023
Via Terra Daily, an article on how rising seas will tighten a vise on Miami even for people who are not flooded:Current potential flood exposure (blue areas) in downtown Miami (left panel) and with one meter of sea-level rise. Deeper blues represent greater depth. A new study that examines both the physical and socioeconomic effects […]
Read more »Efficient Grid-Interactive Buildings
October 18th, 2023
Via IEA.org, a look at the future of efficient grid-interactive buildings in ASEAN: A future with net zero emissions requires scaling up improvements in energy efficiency, electrification of end uses and renewable energy generation. For the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a growing population and rising standards of living will massively increase future energy […]
Read more »Green Resilience Hubs: An Energy and Financial Model
October 18th, 2023
Via Yale Center for Business and Environment, a new report on Green Resilience Hubs: This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility of designing and financing a Green Resilience Hub (GRH). GRHs are physical facilities equipped with clean energy technologies and strategically located to offer vital services to local communities before, during, and after emergencies […]
Read more »US Government Purchases Houses at Risk of Falling Into the Sea
October 18th, 2023
Via The Washington Post, a look at the National Park Service’s decision to – in certain instances – purchase homes at risk of falling into the sea to avoid debris and enlarge protected beachfront: The two houses at the end of East Beacon Road in Rodanthe, N.C., sit precariously at the edge of the pounding […]
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.