The Moisture-Sucking Materials That Could Transform Air Conditioning
July 26th, 2023 Via MIT Technology Review, a look at how desiccants that pull water out of the air could help cool buildings more efficiently: A surprising set of materials could soon help make more efficient air [...]
New York City Has America’s Worst Heat Islands
July 26th, 2023 Via Gothamist, an article on New York city’s heat island effects: When it comes to blistering metropolitan temperatures, New York has the worst existing conditions — known as urban heat [...]
Cement Warms the Planet; A Green Version Just Received a Key Nod of Approval
July 26th, 2023 Via The Washington Post, a report on how one of the biggest challenges to decarbonizing cement isn’t technological, but rather getting builders to trust the alternatives: Companies are finding more [...]
Extreme Heat Shows the Need for Another Kind of Climate Investment
July 25th, 2023 Courtesy of The New York Times, an article on the need to shift climate finance from mitigating climate change to helping people adapt to the effects of global warming: As heat waves gripped three [...]
How Cities Can Prepare For Underground Climate Change
July 24th, 2023 Courtesy of Fast Company, an interesting report on a new study showing that soil is getting hotter, and our buildings are paying for it: The urban heat island effect has been thoroughly documented: [...]
Maine Increases State Heat Pump Goals After Hitting Milestone Two Years Early
July 24th, 2023 Via Maine Public Radio, a report on Maine’s quick success with heat pump deployments: Gov. Janet Mills has made heat pumps a cornerstone of her climate plan, as a strategy to reduce greenhouse [...]

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.