Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Fast. Yours Could Be Next
April 10th, 2024
Via Wired, a report on how subsidence is causing parts of Mexico City to sink, and it’s happening at an uneven rate. That’s bad news for its sprawling public transportation system: WITH ITS EXPANSE of buildings and concrete, Mexico City may not look squishy—but it is. Ever since the Spanish conquistadors drained Lake Texcoco to make […]
Read more »Greening Urban Development: The Business Case for Investing in Urban Green Spaces
April 10th, 2024
Via Earth.org, a look at the investment case for urban green spaces: Urban green spaces have the potential to make a positive impact on cities and the people living in them and present significant business opportunities for construction entrepreneurs. Green property development allows you to connect with buyers increasingly demanding sustainable homes and offers multiple […]
Read more »Communist-Era Apartment Blocks Dominate Eastern Europe – Now They’re Being Transformed
April 9th, 2024
Courtesy of BBC, a report on how Communist-era apartment blocks in Eastern Europe are being transformed: From Prague to Plovdiv, engineers and architects are giving a second life to communist-built apartment blocks in Central and Eastern Europe, ready for the climate change era. One of the oldest residents of one of the tallest building in […]
Read more »L.A. County Faces $12.5B In Climate Costs Through 2040
April 9th, 2024
Courtesy of Los Angeles Times, a look at L.A. County estimated $12.5 billion in climate costs through 2040: A first-of-its-kind report has estimated that Los Angeles County must invest billions of dollars through 2040 to protect residents from worsening climate hazards, including extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels and climate-induced public health […]
Read more »Rooftop Heat Pump Technologies Can Save US Businesses $5B Annually: DOE
April 9th, 2024
Via Smart Cities Dive, an article on a new U.S. Department of Energy program aims to bring higher-efficiency rooftop heat pump technologies to market as soon as 2027: Dive Brief: The U.S. Department of Energy’s new Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator program aims to help manufacturers develop heat pumps that can replace less efficient rooftop heating and […]
Read more »Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?
April 8th, 2024
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at one of the most widely explored technologies to help mitigate climate change – carbon capture: On a windswept Icelandic plateau, an international team of engineers and executives is powering up an innovative machine designed to alter the very composition of Earth’s atmosphere. If all goes as […]
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.