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: [...]
Is the Future Insurable? How Climate Change Is Shrinking the Range of Insurability
August 18th, 2025 Via Probable Futures, a thoughtful commentary on how global climate change is shrinking the range of insurability: Spencer Glendon, Founder of Probable Futures, Carolyn Kousky, Founder of Insurance [...]
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 [...]
A Startup Is Tapping Underground Parking Garages for Clean Energy
August 16th, 2025 Via Bloomberg, a look at a startup that is tapping underground parking garages for clean energy: The heat held in New York’s underground labyrinth of infrastructure, from hundreds of miles of [...]
How Green Walls Are Helping Saudi Arabia Reimagine Urban Life Amid Water and Climate Challenges
August 12th, 2025 Via Arab News, a report on how green walls are helping Saudi Arabia reimagine urban life amid water and climate challenges: Green walls use vegetation to insulate buildings, reduce urban heat, cut [...]
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 [...]

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.