City Trees Save Lives
May 9th, 2024
Via Wired, a look at new research which suggests more trees could cut heat-related ER visits in LA by up to two-thirds: The humble tree has long protected humans from sickness and even death—and in the modern city, it’s still doing so. As global temperatures rise, so too does the “urban heat island effect”—the tendency […]
Read more »Radical Adaptation: Transforming Cities for a Climate Changed World
May 7th, 2024
Via Noema, commentary on society’s tendency to keep rebuilding (and subsidizing) areas that are all but certain to flood again, to burn again, to fall into the ocean? It’s time to rethink climate adaptation, with retreat as the first step: In the months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans proposed a flood control program unlike any […]
Read more »The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities
May 6th, 2024
Via Truthdig, a review of a new book examining sea level rise: Like a cosmic ba-da-bing, Jeff Goodell’s “The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World” was delivered to my doorstep as Hurricane Irma whipped its way toward Florida. The second Category 4 hurricane to hit the states […]
Read more »Getting Cooling Right
May 5th, 2024
Via the IKEA Foundation, commentary on the importance of finding solutions to the coming heat crisis which can be summarized by three (3) important numbers: 1?? There will be three billion more air conditioners in use around the world by 2050; 2?? Over a billion people today don’t have access to the cooling that they need […]
Read more »Investments in Miami-Dade’s Tree Canopy Are Taking Root
May 4th, 2024
Via the Miami Herald, commentary from the Mayor of Miami on efforts to green the city: Miami-Dade County has come a long way in terms of recognizing the importance of reforestation and growing our tree canopy. What once was considered a beautification effort is now widely understood as an essential part of building a more […]
Read more »Results of Los Angeles’ Cool Pavement Experiment
April 26th, 2024
Via Smart Cities Dive, a report on the results of a recent cool pavement experience in Los Angeles in which the covered neighborhood saw cooling benefits, but some researchers contend shade is king when it comes to protecting people from heat: Reflective pavement coating helped cool down one of Los Angeles’ hottest neighborhoods over a year-long […]
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.