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 »Paris Braces for a Future of Possibly Paralyzing Heat
August 18th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on how Paris city planners are preparing for the day when temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 Celsius, could stall the French capital: Imagine Paris at 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 Celsius. The asphalt streets would melt in spots, making it virtually impossible for […]
Read more »Spain’s Old Ways May Show How to Keep Cool
August 18th, 2025
Courtesy of The New York Times, a look at how Spain has been living with extreme heat for centuries, and its people have ways of coping: Javier Recio held a lawn chair like a parasol over his mother’s head. The two had given up on sitting outside and were walking home through one of the […]
Read more »Shade Will Make or Break American Cities
August 10th, 2025
Courtesy of The Atlantic, a look at how shade will make or break American cities: On a 92-degree Saturday afternoon in Portland, Oregon, I went looking for shade in Cully Park, which was built on top of an old landfill and opened in 2018. The city included plenty of trees in the design—I mean, this […]
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.