Green Construction Practices Could Unlock $1.5T Opportunity
November 3rd, 2023
Via Business Green, a look at how major emissions cuts and investment opportunities could arise from shifting to greener materials and processes in construction and buildings, according to the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation: Switching to greener technologies in the construction and operation of buildings, combined with more climate-friendly capital markets, could reduce emissions from […]
Read more »The Key to a Net-Zero Future is Lower Carbon Buildings Today
November 3rd, 2023
Via Green Money, a report on need to create greener buildings: You might be surprised to learn that the buildings where we live, work, and play are some of the biggest sources of carbon emissions. Worldwide, the built environment generates roughly 42 percent of annual C02 emissions, with building operations accounting for 27 percent of […]
Read more »Can ACs Cool the World Without Warming it?
November 1st, 2023
Courtesy of Grist, a look at if/how ACs can cool the world without warming it: A warm breeze brushes your arms as you sit lazily on the balcony. You wave to your elderly neighbor, Roy, across the way. He’s always yelling at you to “close the door; you’re wasting energy” — no matter your patient […]
Read more »Paving Pakistan’s Pathway to Efficient Cooling
October 27th, 2023
Via CLASP, a look at how – as Pakistan’s growing population tries to cope with rising temperatures – the demand for cooling is soaring. CLASP is supporting the country’s first Cooling Action Plan to give communities access to efficient cooling appliances while controlling emissions and reducing the strain on power grids. Pakistan endures some of […]
Read more »As Stormwater and Flood Threats Change, Texas Cities Are Using Green Infrastructure To Adapt
October 25th, 2023
Via Texas Water Resource Institute, a look at how – as stormwater and flood threats change -Texas cities are using green infrastructure to adapt: How many storm drains does one residential street need? How much water can a vegetated buffer strip hold? How will new construction and increased impervious surfaces affect stormwater flow into an […]
Read more »Sustainable AC is Possible, Even with Covid Ventilation
October 25th, 2023
Via Anthropocene Magazine, a look at how it is possible to cool a ventilated building below outside temperatures using an uninsulated roof that sends heat to the sky day and night, while regularly changing indoor air for health: Sweltering temperatures due to climate change are prompting an increasing number of people around the world 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.