Drought is Quietly Pushing American Cities Toward a Fiscal Cliff
November 3rd, 2025
Via Grist, a look at how drought is set to pose a greater risk to the $4 trillion municipal bond market than floods, hurricanes, and wildfires combined: The city of Clyde sits about two hours west of Fort Worth on the plains of north Texas. It gets its water from a lake by the same […]
Read more »Photoluminescent Radiative Cooling for Aesthetic and Urban Comfort
October 26th, 2025
Via Nature, a new article examining the potential of passive radiative cooling to reduce carbon emissions in space cooling by simultaneously reflecting sunlight and emitting thermal radiation: Passive radiative cooling offers a sustainable solution to reduce carbon emissions in space cooling by simultaneously reflecting sunlight and emitting thermal radiation. However, the super-white property of conventional […]
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 »New York Is Going to Flood. Here’s What the City Can Do to Survive.
October 17th, 2025
Via New York Times, a look at New York City’s flooded future: The waters surrounding New York allowed it to grow into an economic powerhouse. But what has been a blessing is increasingly a threat, as flooding becomes one of the city’s greatest challenges. By 2080, nearly 30 percent of the city’s land mass could […]
Read more »How Climate Risks Are Putting Home Insurance Out of Reach
September 18th, 2025
Via Yale’s e360, a look at how – after years underestimating the risks posed by climate-fueled disasters – the U.S. home insurance industry is in turmoil. In vulnerable areas, rising insurance costs are upending housing markets and communities, as homeowners scramble to try to find insurance they can afford. For decades, Sanibel Island, one of […]
Read more »The Bus Stop: A Living Ad for Nature
September 14th, 2025
Via the Washington Post, a look at the role for green bus stops to play in the battle against climate change: Bus shelters tend to be practical, utility-oriented, no-frills structures. They offer protection from the elements. Seating for while you wait. Maybe an ad to grab your attention. But a green bus stop movement is […]
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.