The Future of Home-Building Is Here, But We’re Behind.
August 20th, 2025
Via the Washington Post, commentary on how the Trump administration’s decision to cut grants for materials development has impacted innovations that could reduce construction costs: Every home starts with basic components: concrete for foundations, steel or wood for framing, glass for windows and chemicals for insulation and finishes. These can account for half of total construction […]
Read more »Paris Braces for a Future of Possibly Paralyzing Heat
August 18th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on how Paris city planners are preparing for the day when temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 Celsius, could stall the French capital: Imagine Paris at 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 Celsius. The asphalt streets would melt in spots, making it virtually impossible for […]
Read more »Spain’s Old Ways May Show How to Keep Cool
August 18th, 2025
Courtesy of The New York Times, a look at how Spain has been living with extreme heat for centuries, and its people have ways of coping: Javier Recio held a lawn chair like a parasol over his mother’s head. The two had given up on sitting outside and were walking home through one of the […]
Read more »A Startup Is Tapping Underground Parking Garages for Clean Energy
August 16th, 2025
Via Bloomberg, a look at a startup that is tapping underground parking garages for clean energy: The heat held in New York’s underground labyrinth of infrastructure, from hundreds of miles of subway tunnels to parking garages and malls, is a clean energy gold mine. Now, a Swiss startup wants to tap it to heat and […]
Read more »How Green Walls Are Helping Saudi Arabia Reimagine Urban Life Amid Water and Climate Challenges
August 12th, 2025
Via Arab News, a report on how green walls are helping Saudi Arabia reimagine urban life amid water and climate challenges: Green walls use vegetation to insulate buildings, reduce urban heat, cut emissions, and enhance air quality year-round Experts say vertical gardens could become vital infrastructure as Saudi cities adapt to climate change and population […]
Read more »Shade Will Make or Break American Cities
August 10th, 2025
Courtesy of The Atlantic, a look at how shade will make or break American cities: 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 […]
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.