Advancing Adaptation: Mapping Costs From Cooling To Coastal Defenses
January 7th, 2026
Via McKinsey, a new report on how the benefits of adaptation far outweigh its costs. Yet, the world today spends just one-third of the amount needed to protect everyone exposed to hazards to developed-economy standards. What would it cost to adapt as the Earth warms, and how much will get spent? At a glance Societies […]
Read more »Protecting Coasts Without Cooking The Planet
January 7th, 2026
Via the Salata Institute, an interesting look at how low-carbon, low-cost coastal resilience is possible if designers, builders, and policymakers work together: In the 2010s, when New York City decided to fortify the East River Promenade in the Lower East Side, it turned to a typical solution: emissions-intensive concrete and steel. Around the same time, […]
Read more »EVs Aren’t Just Cars Anymore. They Can Power Your Home Slashing Emissions — and Bills.
December 24th, 2025
Via Anthropocene Magazine, a report on a first-of-its-kind national study finds that vehicle-to-home charging can turn electric cars into grid-smart assets, reducing both energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions: Tapping into electric vehicle (EV) batteries as a source of household power could save car owners thousands of dollars and slash carbon dioxide emissions, according to […]
Read more »How ‘Super Roofs’ Reward Insurers, Cat Bond Investors and Homeowners
December 1st, 2025
Via Bloomberg, a look at novel program run by North Carolina’s insurer of last resort that incentivizes homeowners to install roofs that can stand up to extreme winds: North Carolina has issued a $600 million catastrophe bond to fund disaster preparedness and reward homeowners for installing “super roofs” that are resistant to wind damage. The […]
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 »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 »'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.