There’s Not Enough Land To Solve Climate Change With Wood Buildings and Biofuels
July 28th, 2023
Via Semafor, a report on the potential limitations related to the plan to address climate change with wood buildings and biofuels: Policymakers misunderstand the carbon footprint of plant-based resources: That’s the underlying conclusion of a new report from the World Resources Institute, which found that deforestation is set to soar in the coming decades as the world’s […]
Read more »Cold Take: Why Air-Conditioning Is Key In Fight Against Climate Change
July 28th, 2023
Via MIT Technology Review, an article on how – as extreme heat is making cooling a necessity – the result will be sky-high energy demand: As record-breaking heat waves baked Californians last month, the collective strain of millions of air conditioners forced the state’s grid operators to plunge hundreds of thousands of households into darkness. […]
Read more »‘Next Chapter’ in Decarbonization: Buildings’ Emissions
July 27th, 2023
Via Big Pivots, commentary on what some see as the ‘next chapter’ in decarbonization – weaning buildings off combustion of gases: Colorado is starting another chapter in what could be a future history book, “How We Decarbonized our Economy.” In that book, electricity will be the easy part, at least the storyline through 80% to […]
Read more »Thermal Images Show How Phoenix Uses Technology To Keep Cool
July 26th, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, a look at how Phoenix uses technology to keep cool: A thermal image of a playground in Phoenix on July 20. In 2021, the city became the first U.S. city with a publicly funded office dedicated to managing extreme heat. We took an infrared camera around the city to see […]
Read more »Climate Crisis Has Become A Home Insurance Crisis
July 26th, 2023
Via The New Lede, a look at how the climate crisis has become a home insurance crisis: It’s an ominous sign of how the climate crisis is hitting ever closer to home: Because of the heightened risk of catastrophic wildfires, the two leading U.S. homeowners insurance companies no longer offer new policies in California. Last […]
Read more »Paris When It Sizzles: The City of Light Aims to Get Smart on Heat
July 26th, 2023
Via Yale e360, a report on how Paris – with its zinc roofs and minimal tree cover – was not built to handle the new era of extreme heat, but is now looking at ways to adapt to rising temperatures — planting rooftop terraces, rethinking its pavements, and greening its boulevards: There’s a long tradition […]
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.