Are These Cities Ready To Become Climate Havens?
November 21st, 2023
Courtesy of National Geographic, a look at how – in the future – cities that survive climate change could be full of green spaces, smart buildings, and compact neighborhoods: For decades Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne have been lauded as some of the most livable places on the planet. But in recent years, thousands of ‘mainlanders’ have been relocating to Hobart, the […]
Read more »It’s Time to Invest in Climate Adaptation
November 21st, 2023
Via HBR, commentary on the need to invest in adaptation: Companies around the world are increasingly committing to climate change mitigation, pledging to reduce carbon emissions and water consumption across their operations and supply chains in an effort to slow the pace of global warming and better protect environmental ecosystems. However, while essential, these efforts […]
Read more »The Heat Pump Manufacturing Boom is About to Begin
November 18th, 2023
Via HeatMap, a look at the Biden administration’s recent announcement of $169 million in grants to boost production of the technology in America. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, American environmentalist and writer Bill McKibben pitched an idea to sap Russia’s power by drying up the market for its oil and gas. Heat Pumps for […]
Read more »Green Concrete is Foundational to Building Climate Solutions at Scale
November 15th, 2023
Via Green Money, an article on the importance of green concrete to building climate solutions at scale: Climate heavy hitters in industry and finance are betting on clean concrete. Above image: Heirloom facility What if one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries — cement production — could be a transformative climate solution? One that is […]
Read more »Climate Change Will Test Tokyo’s World-Class Flood Defenses
November 15th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a look at how Japan has financed enormously expensive infrastructure projects to protect cities from catastrophe, but old adaptation plans may not be enough against increasingly heavy rains: Underneath a stretch of highway north of Tokyo lies an example of Japan’s prowess in engineering solutions to potentially destructive weather events: A network of […]
Read more »The Intersection of Buildings, Energy, and Emissions Reduction
November 15th, 2023
Via Green Money, commentary on the intersection of buildings, energy, and emissions reduction: Buildings use energy. Lots of energy. Buildings account for 30-50% of building energy use globally; in the US it’s 39%, more than industry and transportation. Figure 1 shows the US building sector energy consumption, courtesy of Sunproject. Source: World Economic Forum. (October […]
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.