Concrete Could Turn Your House Into A Battery
November 19th, 2025
Via Anthropocene Magazine, a look at how the amount of concrete that goes into an average American home’s basement wall could hold enough energy to meet the daily needs of the household: After water, concrete is the most-used material in the world. And now, researchers have given this ubiquitous building material super powers. A Massachusetts […]
Read more »China Wants Electric Cars To Feed Power Back To The Grid
November 17th, 2025
Via Rest of World, a look at how the world’s largest EV fleet could become a giant battery network if economic and technical hurdles are overcome: China plans 5,000 bidirectional charging stations by 2027. Early trials offer drivers up to $200 monthly in electricity buyback credits. High infrastructure costs and state pricing threaten commercial viability. […]
Read more »How Cities Can Combat Extreme Heat Using Nature-Based Solutions
November 17th, 2025
Via Development Asia, a look at how cities can combat extreme heat using nature-based solutions: Extreme heat is an invisible but increasingly tangible climate risk. It varies by time and place and has wide-reaching but unequal impacts, particularly to women and vulnerable people. As global temperatures rise, extreme heat events (heat waves) are becoming more […]
Read more »Photoluminescent Radiative Cooling for Aesthetic and Urban Comfort
October 26th, 2025
Via Nature, a new article examining the potential of passive radiative cooling to reduce carbon emissions in space cooling by simultaneously reflecting sunlight and emitting thermal radiation: Passive radiative cooling offers a sustainable solution to reduce carbon emissions in space cooling by simultaneously reflecting sunlight and emitting thermal radiation. However, the super-white property of conventional […]
Read more »The Shopping Mall: The Climate Bunker We Already Have?
October 26th, 2025
Via Next City, commentary exploring how – while many thought the shopping mall was a monument to collapse – it may actually have a new life as a climate shelter: When it’s 115? degrees outside and wildfire smoke turns the sky orange, the mall may be the most democratic shelter left in America. Cooled, accessible […]
Read more »Cleaner and Smarter: Smart Urban Districts Around the World
October 17th, 2025
Via Illuminem, a report on smart districts around the world: More than half (55%) of the world’s population now lives in cities, and by 2050 this figure will increase to 68%. Due to demographic shifts and urbanization, about 2.5 billion people will appear in megacities by mid-century, according to UN forecasts. At the same time, about […]
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.