Living In A +50°C World: Cooling Must Be Considered Critical Infrastructure
November 30th, 2023
Via the University of Birmingham, a new call for global cooling and cold chain to be considered as critical infrastructure: Experts from the University of Birmingham are calling for global cooling and cold chain to be considered as critical infrastructure as the planet continues to heat. The report, The Hot Reality: Living in a +50°C World, comes […]
Read more »Stay Cool: NYC Planting Thousands of New Trees To Maximize Foliage Impact
November 30th, 2023
Via The Guardian, a report on New York City’s plan to plant thousands of trees using new tech to maximize foliage impact: New York City is poised to get a lot more trees. Last month, the city council passed a measure calling for 30% canopy cover by 2035, up from its current cover of 22% […]
Read more »Extreme Heat Will Bake America’s Cities
November 28th, 2023
Via The Economist, a look at the impact of extreme heat on U.S. cities and how they may prepare: The monsoon is late again. Without the almost biblical rains, there is nothing to break the heat during a long stretch of days above 43°C (109°F). The pavement is scalding. Hospital wards are filling with burn victims. […]
Read more »Climate Change Will Test Tokyo’s World-Class Flood Defenses
November 15th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a look at how Japan has financed enormously expensive infrastructure projects to protect cities from catastrophe, but old adaptation plans may not be enough against increasingly heavy rains: Underneath a stretch of highway north of Tokyo lies an example of Japan’s prowess in engineering solutions to potentially destructive weather events: A network of […]
Read more »After its Hottest Summer On Record, Phoenix’s Mayor Outlines the City’s Future
November 13th, 2023
Via Inside Climate News, an interview with Phoenix’s Mayor Kate Gallego, looking at how the city is looking to address extreme heat and drought to build a more sustainable city: The Phoenix summer of 2023 was one for the record books. For 54 days straight—36 more than the previous record—the hottest city in the country had […]
Read more »Buildings That Can Stand Up To Hurricanes and Sharply Cut Emissions Too
November 7th, 2023
Via AP News, a report on how some houses are being built to stand up to hurricanes and sharply cut emissions, too: When Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle five years ago, it left boats, cars and trucks piled up to the windows of Bonny Paulson’s home in the tiny coastal community of Mexico Beach, […]
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.