The Promise Of Paint-On Solar Cells
August 12th, 2024
Via Clean Technica, an article on the promise of paint-on solar cells: Fossil energy stakeholders have been ginning up opposition to large-scale solar farms, but they should have been watching their backs. The latest development in photovoltaic technology involves low-cost perovskite solar cells created in the form of a solution which can be applied to […]
Read more »Revolutionary AI Heat Pump Water Heater Aims to Enhance Home Efficiency and Reduce Carbon Emissions
August 12th, 2024
Via One Green Planet, a look at a revolutionary AI heat pump water heater that aims to enhance efficiency and reduce carbon emissions: In a bid to modernize home heating solutions and reduce carbon footprints, Cala Systems has introduced a cutting-edge heat pump water heater powered by artificial intelligence. This innovative device not only promises to prevent […]
Read more »Trees Are Not Enough: Shade Will Make or Break American Cities
August 7th, 2024
Via The Atlantic, a look at innovative solutions for urban shade: On a 92-degree Saturday afternoon in Portland, Oregon, I went looking for shade in Cully Park, which was built on top of an old landfill and opened in 2018. The city included plenty of trees in the design—I mean, this is Oregon. But those […]
Read more »Plants vs. Pipes: How Asia’s 5,000-Year-Old Rice Terraces Are Inspiring Modern Flood Control
August 6th, 2024
Via BBC, a look at how Asia’s 5,000-year-old rice terraces are inspiring modern flood control: Landprocess The green roof of Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand is designed to protect from flooding, cool temperatures and grow crops (Credit: Landprocess) Parks, roofs and riverbanks mimicking the long-used agricultural form are helping Asian cities absorb, hold and purify […]
Read more »What If Buildings Were Designed Like Trees?
August 6th, 2024
What if we designed buildings like trees? To emit oxygen, sequester carbon, fix nitrogen, create food, and distill water. Here is a recent presentation at the 15th Real Estate Development Summit—Europe which explored just that. Let’s use nature as a model and a tool so that our structures are as nurturing to the planet as […]
Read more »How Four Cities Are Cooling Down Creatively
August 2nd, 2024
Via Reasons To Be Cheerful, a look at how cities around the world are trying everything from reflective paint to underground water channels to manage the hotter days ahead: In the middle of a summer of record-breaking heat, just stepping outside is enough to remind us that the world is experiencing rising temperatures due to […]
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.