Why Indonesia Is Covering Its Roofs With Reflective White Paint
August 23rd, 2023
Via Fast Company, a report on an initiative that uses light-reflecting paint to cool buildings without the need for an air conditioner: In Indonesia, temperatures remain high throughout the year without any real winter season, making indoor conditions unbearable for residents. Most people don’t have air-conditioning, and those who do have low-quality units that do […]
Read more »Surviving the Phoenix Heat
August 20th, 2023
Via The New Yorker, a report on how researchers at Arizona State University are bringing relief to the residents who need it most: For thirty-one days in a row, the temperature in Phoenix hit at least a hundred and ten degrees. It was one-nineteen on one day, one-eighteen on another, and one-seventeen on a couple […]
Read more »Green Roof or Rooftop Solar? Combine Them Into Biosolar Roof To Boost Biodiversity and Power Output
August 16th, 2023
Via The Conversation, a l0ok at the potential for biosolar green roofs to make major contributions to net-zero cities, using space that currently has no other use: Growing city populations and limited space are driving the adoption of green roofs and green walls covered with living plants. As well as boosting biodiversity, green roofs could […]
Read more »How Cities Are Adapting to Climate Change
August 16th, 2023
Via EcoWatch, a look at how various cities are adapting to climate change: Some environmental professionals warn us that the time for focusing solely on climate mitigation – that is, preventing warming from happening – is behind us. Instead, they argue that cities need to begin shifting their efforts toward adaptation: responding to the impacts […]
Read more »China’s ‘Sponge Cities’ Aim To Re-Use 70% of Rainwater
August 15th, 2023
Via The Conversation, an article on Chinese ‘sponge cities’: Asian cities are struggling to accommodate rapid urban migration, and development is encroaching on flood-prone areas. Recent flooding in Mumbai was blamed in part on unregulated developmentof wetlands, while hastily built urban areas are being affected by flooding across India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. This is not a trend only in developing […]
Read more »Building Sustainable Cities
August 15th, 2023
Via The World Bank, a look at the importance of building cities that “work” – green, resilient and inclusive– and recent IFC financing supporting this: IFC provides $236 million to Absa to finance green real estate in South Africa. By 2050, seven in 10 people will live in urban centers around the world; Asia and Africa […]
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.