How to Upgrade and Electrify Millions of US Homes and Buildings
August 11th, 2023 Via RMI, a look at three ways that states can scale the impact of the IRA’s historic $8.5 billion home energy rebates investment: The White House and Department of Energy (DOE) recently laid the [...]
How Philanthropy Is Helping Cities Adapt to Extreme Heat
August 11th, 2023 Via Philanthropy.com, a look at how philanthropy is helping cities adapt to extreme heat: In 2019, a group of climate experts gathered at the Bellagio Center, a sprawling 50-acre property owned by [...]
Swiss Re: ‘High Time to Invest in More Climate Adaption’
August 11th, 2023 Via BusinessGreen, commentary that insurers are now seeing the need for more adaptation investment: Severe thunderstorms, earthquakes, extensive flooding, and heatwaves have hit the global insurance [...]
Converting Brown Offices to Green Apartments
August 10th, 2023 A detailed NBER report, that examines the conversion of brown office buildings to green apartments as a means of contributing towards a solution to three pressing issues: oversupply of office in a [...]
This Butterfly-Inspired Paint Could Keep Cars and Houses Cool
August 10th, 2023 Via Fast Company, a look at a nature-inspired cooling technology: Scientists have designed a thin film that mimics a butterfly’s wings to help keep surfaces cool. The vivid blue color of morpho [...]
Riding The Heat Wave: Why America’s Hottest City Is Still Booming
August 10th, 2023 Courtesy of The Atlantic, an article on how air conditioning is keeping America’s hottest city still booming: In Phoenix, a high of 108 degrees Fahrenheit now somehow counts as a respite. On [...]

ABOUT
BLACK SWANS GREEN SHOOTS
Black Swans / Green Shoots examines the collision between urbanization and resource scarcity in a world affected by climate change, identifying opportunities to build sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure through the use of revolutionary capital, increased awareness, innovative technologies, and smart design to make a difference in the face of global and local climate perils.

'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.