How Climate Risks Are Putting Home Insurance Out of Reach
September 18th, 2025
Via Yale’s e360, a look at how – after years underestimating the risks posed by climate-fueled disasters – the U.S. home insurance industry is in turmoil. In vulnerable areas, rising insurance costs are upending housing markets and communities, as homeowners scramble to try to find insurance they can afford. For decades, Sanibel Island, one of […]
Read more »The Bus Stop: A Living Ad for Nature
September 14th, 2025
Via the Washington Post, a look at the role for green bus stops to play in the battle against climate change: Bus shelters tend to be practical, utility-oriented, no-frills structures. They offer protection from the elements. Seating for while you wait. Maybe an ad to grab your attention. But a green bus stop movement is […]
Read more »How River and Lake Water Is Cooling Buildings
September 5th, 2025
Via Wired, a look at how networks of pipes and heat exchangers can transfer excess heat from buildings into nearby bodies of water—but as the world warms, the cooling potential of some water courses is now diminishing. The Louvre, one of the greatest art museums in the world—home to the Mona Lisa—has an uneasy relationship with […]
Read more »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 »Is the Future Insurable? How Climate Change Is Shrinking the Range of Insurability
August 18th, 2025
Via Probable Futures, a thoughtful commentary on how global climate change is shrinking the range of insurability: Spencer Glendon, Founder of Probable Futures, Carolyn Kousky, Founder of Insurance for Good and Associate Vice President of Economics and Policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, and Barney Schauble, Principal at greenthread, wrote this article in collaboration. Spencer, Carolyn, and Barney have […]
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.