Massachusetts City Mandates Net-Zero Emissions For Some Large Buildings By 2035
July 3rd, 2023
Via Smart Cities Dive, a report that Cambridge, Massachusetts has mandated net-zero emissions for some large buildings by 2035: Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday adopted requirements that all existing nonresidential buildings over 25,000 square feet achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with a more aggressive deadline of 2035 for the largest buildings. Cambridge said in a Tuesday […]
Read more »AstraZeneca To Invest $400M To Plant 200 Million Trees
July 3rd, 2023
Via Greenbiz.com, a report on AstraZeneca’s ambition plans to expand a global reforestation program to support its 2045 net-zero and nature goals: AstraZeneca has expanded its global reforestation program with an enhanced commitment to plant over 200 million trees worldwide by the end of the decade, backed by $400 million of fresh investment. The British […]
Read more »Carbon Counter: Cool Heads Needed for Air-Conditioning Conundrum
July 2nd, 2023
Courtesy of The Financial Times, commentary on how increasing air-con penetration could have significant impacts on emissions — but there is plenty that can be done to mitigate it: Climate change is full of vicious feedback loops. Take air conditioning. The hotter it gets, the more of it we will need, leading to additional energy […]
Read more »The Choice Between A Poorer Today and A Hotter Tomorrow
July 2nd, 2023
Via The Economist, a look at the huge amount of investment needed to help developing countries go green: Suppose for a minute, that you are a finance minister in the developing world. At the end of a year in which your tax take has disappointed, you are just about out of money. You could plough […]
Read more »Burning Question: Will Texas Become Too Hot For Humans?
July 1st, 2023
Via BBC Future, commentary on how much hotter Texas – currently in the grip of a relentless heatwave – could get in years to come: It’s 9.15 pm in San Antonio on 17 June. At this time, young children would usually be asleep and their parents enjoying a balmy summer’s evening. But not this year, […]
Read more »Powerful Hurricanes Have Reduced Coastal Cities to Wreckage. But This Community Stands Unscathed.
June 29th, 2023
Via Popular Mechanics, a look at Babcock Ranch, Florida which isn’t just storm-proof—it’s a blueprint for the future: When Hurricane Ian smashed onto Cuba’s southwest coast in the early morning hours of Tuesday, September 27, 2022, Syd Kitson exhaled. At that point the Category 3 storm was forecast to make landfall on the Florida panhandle, far from […]
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.