Treebates: Planting A Tree Just Got $100 Cheaper for Some California Property Owners
March 13th, 2024
Via Smart Cities Dive, a look at a unique Southern California program that encourages planting trees in the place of turf lawns: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is encouraging residents and businesses to plant “California-Friendly” and native trees on their property through a rebate announced March 5. The cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies […]
Read more »Coming Soon to Manhattan, a Brand-New Tiny Forest
March 12th, 2024
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how – pocket-size forests filled with native plants which have long been embraced worldwide for their environmental benefits – may be coming to New York City: A trend that’s gaining momentum around the world is set to finally arrive in Manhattan. It’s a tiny forest, to be planted […]
Read more »Where Heat Pumps Win — And Where They Lose
March 11th, 2024
Via Heat Map Daily, a report on five key findings from an extremely thorough study by the National Renewable Energy Lab: Some Americans install heat pumps because they care about climate change. But most people aren’t going to make the switch until it makes sense economically. Pinpointing where and for whom heat pumps make sense […]
Read more »New York City Ready to Expand Greenways Along Rivers, Railways and Parks
March 9th, 2024
Via Inside Climate News, a look at efforts in New York to expand multi-use paths protected from vehicle traffic toconnect the city’s boroughs and help increase climate resilience as rainfall, flooding and storms all become more intense: New York City is poised for a year of opportunity with the opening of miles of city-wide greenways, a […]
Read more »Sinking Cities Push Sea Level Rise Into Overdrive
March 6th, 2024
Via CNN, an article on how sinking cities are pushing sea level rise into overdrive: Dozens of cities along the US coastline are sinking at alarming rates, leaving them far more exposed to devastating flooding from sea level rise than previously thought, scientists reported Wednesday. As oceans rise and the coasts sink, up to 343,000 acres of land will […]
Read more »Pressed for Space, Solar Farms Are Getting Creative
March 6th, 2024
Courtesy of Bloomberg, a report on how – from retired landfills to decommissioned golf courses and murals on the sides of buildings – solar installations are proliferating in unexpected places: Solar power is expected to dominate global electricity markets in the next few decades, and already accounts for three-quarters of renewable energy capacity, according to the International […]
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.