Boston Skyscraper Named World’s Biggest ‘Passive House’ Office
October 11th, 2023
Via Canary Media, an article on a Boston building, which will use far less energy than a conventional design, as the latest example of the efficiency standard’s growing popularity: A new Boston skyscraper has a climate-friendly claim to fame. Last week, it became the largest office space in the world certified to the extremely energy-efficient ?“Passive House” […]
Read more »Vermont Utility Plans to End Outages by Giving Customers Batteries
October 10th, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on one utility’s plans to buy batteries it will install at customers’ homes instead of putting up more power lines: Many electric utilities are putting up lots of new power lines as they rely more on renewable energy and try to make grids more resilient in bad weather. […]
Read more »How To Build A Heat-Resilient City
October 10th, 2023
Courtesy of Grist, a look at a model metropolis for an era of high temperatures, using the coolest technology available: Florencia Fuertes / Grist Cities are hot. When you cover the ground with asphalt and concrete, jam millions of cars together on congested streets, and erect thousands of buildings that leak their own heat, you create […]
Read more »Cementing Your lead: The Cement Industry In The Net-Zero Transition
October 7th, 2023
Courtesy of McKinsey, a report on the cement industry’s opportunities in the net-zero transition: Novel approaches and materials could help the cement industry transition to a decarbonized future. Moving forward, players with strategic approaches to new technologies could have an edge. Decarbonizing the cement industry has never been more important. Globally, cement accounts for about 7 […]
Read more »Blue Frontier and its Energy-Efficient AC
October 7th, 2023
Via MIT Technology Review, a report on a start-up company aiming to redefine air conditioning: Global demand for air conditioning is growing. But AC consumes lots of electricity, which comes mainly from fossil fuels, and leaks harmful refrigerants. Blue Frontier’s approach cools buildings more efficiently with alternative refrigerants, and its units store energy to avoid […]
Read more »How Green Roofs Can Help Cities Adapt To Climate Change
October 6th, 2023
Via Yale Climate Connections, a report on how green roofs can lower energy costs, help control stormwater, and cool urban areas: In cities, you may notice some roofs that are covered with plants. Many of these green roofs are planted with a low-lying ground cover like sedum. Kathryn McConnell of Brown University says other, more elaborate […]
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.