An Architect Has Found a Way to Build Flood-Proof Homes
December 3rd, 2023
Via The Washington Post, a report on one architect’s efforts to build swaths of flood-resistant homes out of bamboo: Yasmeen Lari spent a four-decade career designing award-winning structures out of concrete, glass and steel before stumbling into her ideal material. It was at a camp for refugees from military conflict in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat Valley. […]
Read more »Rising Tides, Rising Solutions: Tuvalu’s Innovative Climate Adaptation Strategies
December 1st, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a look at what the world can learn from Tuvalu’s unique approach to the existential threat of climate change: Climate change is destroying our world as we know it. The Pacific Island countries have been hit hardest by its effects, forcing them to take drastic measures to adapt. Tuvalu, in particular, is […]
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 »A Climate Change Success Story? Look at Hoboken.
November 5th, 2023
Via The New York Times, a look at how this flood-prone city on the Hudson River has bundled water-absorbing infrastructure into benefits residents asked for, like parks and safer streets: The city of Hoboken, N.J., once a marshy outcropping that the Lenape inhabited only seasonally, hugs the Hudson River. Three-quarters of it occupies a flood […]
Read more »As Stormwater and Flood Threats Change, Texas Cities Are Using Green Infrastructure To Adapt
October 25th, 2023
Via Texas Water Resource Institute, a look at how – as stormwater and flood threats change -Texas cities are using green infrastructure to adapt: How many storm drains does one residential street need? How much water can a vegetated buffer strip hold? How will new construction and increased impervious surfaces affect stormwater flow into an […]
Read more »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 »'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.