As Insurers Around the U.S. Bleed Cash From Climate Shocks, Homeowners Lose
May 18th, 2024
Courtesy of The New York Times, a look at the climate change driven insurance crisis: At first glance, Dave Langston’s predicament seems similar to headaches facing homeowners in coastal states vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes: As disasters have become more frequent and severe, his insurance company has been losing money. Then, it canceled his coverage and […]
Read more »Are Floating Cities the Solution to Rising Seas?
May 18th, 2024
Via The New York Times, a look at whether living on the water our future? Floating developments, including a project in progress in South Korea, suggest that it’s more than a pipe dream. Worldwide, rising sea levels and increasing urbanization represent a formula for disaster, with more and more people seeking to live on land […]
Read more »Tokyo: Leader In Urban Sustainability
May 18th, 2024
Courtesy of Illuminem, a look at Tokyo’s leadership in urban sustainability initiatives: Cities are increasingly expected to bear the onus of global sustainable development objectives. After all, 75% of global emissions and about 50% of global waste derive from cities. 56% of the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 almost 70% of the world will live in cities. In this context, […]
Read more »These Electric School Buses Are on Their Way to Save the Grid
May 17th, 2024
Via Wired, a report on a new kind of magic school bus—one that can both charge and give power back: The big yellow school bus is a US icon, but perhaps not one that future Americans will remember fondly. Chugging through neighborhoods, idling in front of kids’ houses, the vehicles spew both noise and fossil-fuel […]
Read more »City Trees Save Lives
May 9th, 2024
Via Wired, a look at new research which suggests more trees could cut heat-related ER visits in LA by up to two-thirds: The humble tree has long protected humans from sickness and even death—and in the modern city, it’s still doing so. As global temperatures rise, so too does the “urban heat island effect”—the tendency […]
Read more »Push for Mass Timber As a Sustainable Housing Solution
May 8th, 2024
Via CT NPR, an article on the push for mass timber as a sustainable housing solution in New England: In a remodeled furniture factory-turned-apartment building in New Haven, Connecticut, the walls and ceiling are all yellow pine, harvested from Alabama. “So here we are, let’s come into the bedroom,” Jeff Spiritos, the developer, said on […]
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.