A Climate Change Success Story? Look at Hoboken.
November 5th, 2023
Via The New York Times, a look at how this flood-prone city on the Hudson River has bundled water-absorbing infrastructure into benefits residents asked for, like parks and safer streets: The city of Hoboken, N.J., once a marshy outcropping that the Lenape inhabited only seasonally, hugs the Hudson River. Three-quarters of it occupies a flood […]
Read more »How Cities Can Fight Climate Change?
November 4th, 2023
Courtesy of Knowable Magazine, a look at how urban activities — think construction, transportation, heating, cooling and more — are major sources of greenhouse-gas emissions but, today, a growing number of cities are striving to slash their emission to net zero: Global temperatures are on the rise — up by 1.1 degrees Celsius since the […]
Read more »The Key to a Net-Zero Future is Lower Carbon Buildings Today
November 3rd, 2023
Via Green Money, a report on need to create greener buildings: You might be surprised to learn that the buildings where we live, work, and play are some of the biggest sources of carbon emissions. Worldwide, the built environment generates roughly 42 percent of annual C02 emissions, with building operations accounting for 27 percent of […]
Read more »Can ACs Cool the World Without Warming it?
November 1st, 2023
Courtesy of Grist, a look at if/how ACs can cool the world without warming it: A warm breeze brushes your arms as you sit lazily on the balcony. You wave to your elderly neighbor, Roy, across the way. He’s always yelling at you to “close the door; you’re wasting energy” — no matter your patient […]
Read more »As Stormwater and Flood Threats Change, Texas Cities Are Using Green Infrastructure To Adapt
October 25th, 2023
Via Texas Water Resource Institute, a look at how – as stormwater and flood threats change -Texas cities are using green infrastructure to adapt: How many storm drains does one residential street need? How much water can a vegetated buffer strip hold? How will new construction and increased impervious surfaces affect stormwater flow into an […]
Read more »Sustainable AC is Possible, Even with Covid Ventilation
October 25th, 2023
Via Anthropocene Magazine, a look at how it is possible to cool a ventilated building below outside temperatures using an uninsulated roof that sends heat to the sky day and night, while regularly changing indoor air for health: Sweltering temperatures due to climate change are prompting an increasing number of people around the world to […]
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.