Urban Forests: ‘Critical but Underfunded’
August 21st, 2024
Via Smart Cities Dive, a look at urban forests and the potential offered by carbon credit programs, revolving funds and partnerships with conservancies to provide some of the money needed to prevent these green spaces from degrading: Cities need to diversify the funding sources used to care for forested natural areas, which are “a critical but […]
Read more »Conserving & restoring waterways can mitigate extreme urban heat in Bangladesh
August 21st, 2024
Via Mongabay, a look at how conserving & restoring waterways can mitigate extreme urban heat in Bangladesh: Conserving existing wetlands and restoring urban waterways can be an effective way for urban planners to protect city residents from extreme heat. In Dhaka, as in other large cities, paved urban landscapes absorb heat and intensify the risk […]
Read more »The Mirror Roofs Cooling Homes In Freetown
August 18th, 2024
Via The Guardian, a look at initial results showing homes in Sierra Leone’s capital fitted with heat-reflective roofing sheets can be up to 6C cooler: Mohamed Koroma has lived in the Kroo Bay waterfront community in Freetown for more than 50 years but cannot remember a time when the weather has been as hot as […]
Read more »Milwaukee Wants To Build The World’s Largest Timber Skyscraper (Again)
August 18th, 2024
Via Popular Science, a report on Milwaukee’s plans to build the world’s tallest timber skyscraper (again): The new skyscraper could be feature as many as 55 floors. Credit: Michael Green Architecture Milwaukee has been home to the world’s tallest timber skyscraper for barely two years, but the city is already aiming to more than double that height. Last month, […]
Read more »Parks for Tomorrow: Harnessing Nature To Cool Cities
August 17th, 2024
Via Harvard Magazine, a look at one landscape architects efforts to use nature to cool cities: In 2009, Bas Smets walked across an old industrial plaza in Arles, France. Entirely concrete, the space posed a problem. The area was being transformed into a large art complex, but in the intense summer sun, the ground reflected […]
Read more »World’s Largest Mass Timber Airport Opens In Portland, Oregon
August 17th, 2024
Via Design Boom, a look at the beautiful – and sustainable – mass timber airport in Portland: Portland International Airport (PDX) has officially opened its expanded main terminal of mass timber to travelers. Designed by ZGF Architects, the $2 billion renovation is a significant milestone for the Port of Portland, marking the largest mass timber project of its kind […]
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.