Archive for October, 2024

Before The Floods, Asheville Was Called A ‘Climate Haven.’ Is Anywhere Safe?
October 1st, 2024

Via The Washington Post, a look at how – as climate change leads to more severe hurricanes – mountain communities like Asheville, N.C., face growing flood danger: Asheville, N.C., seemed like an ideal place to escape the worst effects of global warming. In recent years, media outlets and real estate agents named the city a […]

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Posted in River Flooding | Comments Off on Before The Floods, Asheville Was Called A ‘Climate Haven.’ Is Anywhere Safe?

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Cities: Unprepared For Impact of Climate Change
October 1st, 2024

Via Yale School of Public Health, a report on cities lack of readiness for climate change: Proactive action is needed to make cities more resilient to climate change and capable of protecting community health, according to a new report released today by the Yale School of Public Health, the Resilient Cities Network, and The Rockefeller […]

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Posted in Resilient Infrastructure | Comments Off on Cities: Unprepared For Impact of Climate Change

Black Swans / Green Shoots examines the collision between urbanization and resource scarcity in a world affected by climate change, identifying opportunities to build sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure through the use of revolutionary capital, increased awareness, innovative technologies, and smart design to make a difference in the face of global and local climate perils.

'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.

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