Transforming Trees Into Skyscrapers
September 28th, 2023
Courtesy of The New Yorker, a look at how – in Scandinavia – ecologically minded architects are building towers with pillars of pine and spruce: Brumunddal, a small municipality on the northeastern shore of Lake Mjøsa, in Norway, has for most of its history had little to recommend it to the passing visitor. There are […]
Read more »SolarEV Cities Began In the South. Can They Work in the North? First stop, Paris. Next, Berlin.
September 27th, 2023
Via Anthropocene Magazine, a look at the first detailed study of combining rooftop solar panels with electric vehicles—for storage and power—in northern latitudes which reveals nuanced potential: A widespread rollout of rooftop solar panels connected to electric vehicle (EV) batteries in the region surrounding Paris, France could supply 60% of the area’s electricity demand and […]
Read more »To Decarbonize Transportation, We Must Invest in the US EV Battery Supply Chain
September 27th, 2023
Via RMI, a report on how a circular EV battery economy can help strengthen the U.S. EV battery supply chain and the nation’s growing demand for EVs: As the number of people adopting electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, many are concerned that the North American EV battery (EVB) supply chain won’t be able to meet the […]
Read more »Water Authority Moves To Conserve On Cooling Systems In Southern Nevada
September 25th, 2023
Via the Las Vegas Sun, a report that the Southern Nevada Water Authority has banned high-consumption evaporative systems in new commercial buildings amid drought: The Southern Nevada Water Authority has banned evaporative cooling in new commercial buildings because the systems are one of largest consumers of water in Clark County. The ban went into effect […]
Read more »Climate Corps Invests in a Different Kind of Green Economy: Not Just About Decarbonization
September 22nd, 2023
Courtesy of HeatMap, commentary on the Climate Corps: The climate corps is back. In his first week in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for, among other things, the creation of a job-training program modeled after the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps that would “mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers and […]
Read more »Why Batteries Might — Might! — Solve America’s Power-Line Shortage
September 22nd, 2023
Via HeatMap, a look at whether solar plus storage can fix one of the thorniest problems of the energy transition: To talk about renewable energy these days is to talk about power lines. “No transition without transmission” has become something of a mantra among a legion of energy wonks. And following the passage of the […]
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.