Urban Forestry Is Having its Moment
October 6th, 2023
Via Yale School of the Environment, a look at urban forestry: The 2023 Hixon Center Urban Conference provided researchers and practitioners with new tactics to increase tree canopy, access funding, and engage community members as stewards of urban forests. Trees and forests in urban spaces play an essential role in mitigating the impacts of climate […]
Read more »Sublime Systems and Its Clean Cement
October 5th, 2023
Via MIT Technology Review, a look at a firm using electrochemistry to reinvent one of the world’s dirtiest materials: Sublime Systems has invented a new way to make cement. The startup’s approach employs electrochemistry to dramatically cut emissions, both by tweaking the chemical reactions involved and by eliminating the need for high temperatures. Intro Sublime […]
Read more »Better Bus Systems Could Slow Climate Change
October 5th, 2023
Courtesy of Scientific American, a report on how better bus systems could help slow climate change: For the past decade Seattle has been growing—fast. Between 2010 and 2020 its population swelled by almost a quarter. Growth is generally good for cities, but it is often accompanied by a dreaded problem: traffic. Yet Seattle managed to […]
Read more »In Baltimore, Yellow Buses Are Going Green
October 5th, 2023
Via Grist, a report on one city’s efforts to electrify their school bus network: The vision “OK class,” you announce from the front of the bus. “You all did great at the museum. Now, when we get to the charging station, I want everybody to stick with their buddy. And follow very close behind your chaperone, OK?” […]
Read more »‘Only The Rich Can Bear This Heat’: How Dhaka Is Battling Extreme Weather
October 5th, 2023
Courtesy of The Guardian, a look at how Dhaka is battling extreme heat, where high temperatures hit the poor hardest: Set in post-apocalyptic Dhaka, Nuhash Humayun’s Moshari became the first Bangladeshi film to qualify for the Oscars last year. The spine-tingling thriller follows two sisters and their fight for survival, but for the film’s co-producer, Bushra Afreen, […]
Read more »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 a tiny fish. “It’s good to have a place like this for people to relax,” says Li, his shirt off in the […]
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.