China’s Adaptation Advantage
October 23rd, 2023
Courtesy of The Wire, a look at China’s head-start in mobilizing to adapt and thrive in a rapidly warming world. If it succeeds, the geopolitical consequences will be profound; Illustration by Sam Ward. On an August day last year, Xi Jinping visited Saihanba National Forest Park to inspect the trees and flowers. Spanning nearly 200,000 acres northwest […]
Read more »Could Billions of Oysters Protect Us From The Next Big Storm?
October 22nd, 2023
Via National Geographic, a report on how oysters are being used to protect shorelines from storm surge and high tides and reduce the impacts of erosion from intense rain: Flash flooding in New York City. Sinking coasts in Louisiana. To guard against the effects of climate change, these communities are turning to bivalves. This year […]
Read more »After its Hottest Summer On Record, Phoenix’s Mayor Outlines the City’s Future
October 21st, 2023
Courtesy of Inside Climate News, an interview with Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego how 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 […]
Read more »Designing For Disaster: Tsunami House
October 19th, 2023
Via HeatMap, a look at how an architect built a house to withstand mudslides: Dan Nelson has inadvertently become an expert in resilient design because of where he lives and builds houses: Washington state. His architecture firm, Designs Northwest Architects, specializes in complex residential projects in and around the Puget Sound where earthquake risk runs […]
Read more »Rising Seas Will Tighten Vise on Miami Even for People Who Are Not Flooded
October 18th, 2023
Via Terra Daily, an article on how rising seas will tighten a vise on Miami even for people who are not flooded:Current potential flood exposure (blue areas) in downtown Miami (left panel) and with one meter of sea-level rise. Deeper blues represent greater depth. A new study that examines both the physical and socioeconomic effects […]
Read more »US Government Purchases Houses at Risk of Falling Into the Sea
October 18th, 2023
Via The Washington Post, a look at the National Park Service’s decision to – in certain instances – purchase homes at risk of falling into the sea to avoid debris and enlarge protected beachfront: The two houses at the end of East Beacon Road in Rodanthe, N.C., sit precariously at the edge of the pounding […]
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.