On the Grid: How Old Coal Plants Could Help Fuel A Renewable Boom
July 15th, 2023
Via E&E News, an interesting look at the potential for old power plants and their links to the grid to be repurposed to bring renewables online faster and aid nearby communities? And if so, which companies will benefit? When Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant closes Saturday, it will leave behind more than towering smokestacks and mounds […]
Read more »The Rise of Electric Heat Pumps
July 15th, 2023
Courtesy of Harvard Business School, an independent project with Professor George Serafeim to assess the viability of a heat pump: In the U.S., 17% of homes have an electric heat pump installed. In the South – in states such as North Carolina and Alabama – this number is above 40% [1]. It is clear that […]
Read more »This New Neighborhood Will Be Net-Zero, Off the Grid, and Leaves Room for the Forest
July 15th, 2023
Via Fast Company, a look at a new 67-home neighborhood in Ontario which will be walkable, run off community battery systems, and will protect nearby forests and wetlands In a new neighborhood that will be surrounded by forests in rural Canada, you’ll be able to live fully off the grid—and potentially avoid much driving, despite […]
Read more »We’re building roofs wrong. A different approach can save money and lives.
July 15th, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, an article on innovative roof technology which can help combat extreme heat: Years ago, I walked onto the roof of the Palo Alto Research Center. The nondescript beige building in Silicon Valley, known for groundbreaking technology, is the birthplace of the mouse, laser printer and Ethernet. That afternoon, researchers were sending heat […]
Read more »Green IRR: Rethinking Financial Valuations of Property In Light of Climate Change
July 14th, 2023
Via Ivanhoe Cambridge, interesting commentary from one real estate investor/developer regarding the impact of climate change on their properties’ valuations: To meet the climate emergency challenge, it is imperative that real estate players shift gears and incorporate carbon transition impacts into the valuation of buildings. Implementing a “Green IRR” (internal rate of return) will allow […]
Read more »Even ‘Safe’ Places Are Experiencing Climate Chaos in America
July 13th, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, commentary on recent flooding in Vermont and the need to develop responsive infrastructure: The capital of Vermont — the state that often tops those “best states to move to and avoid climate change” lists — was, until Tuesday afternoon, mostly underwater. Swollen by record-breaking rainfall, the Winooski River claimed nearly the entire […]
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.