Greening Sydney 2030
June 25th, 2023 Via Medium, a look at Greening Sydney 2030, a strategy to adapt to climate change and enhance the city’s resilience to likely impacts: Urbanisation and climate change require cities to find new [...]
Cities ‘Critical Battlegrounds’ For A Sustainable Future
June 25th, 2023 Via the UN, a report on the importance of cities in the battle against climate change and the positive effect that public green space has upon biodiversity, climate, wellness and air quality: When it [...]
Mapped: Renewable Energy and Battery Installations in the U.S. in 2023
June 25th, 2023 Courtesy of the Visual Capitalist, an interesting graphical look at the renewable energy and battery installations in the U.S. in 2023 Renewable energy, in particular solar power, is set to shine in [...]
Urban Forests of Melbourne
June 25th, 2023 Via Medium, an article on the potential for urban forests and vegetation to intercept and filter stormwater runoff, absorb airborne pollutants, provide windbreaks to protect buildings from wind [...]
How Are Cities Responding To Extreme Heat?
June 24th, 2023 Via Al Jazeera, a video look at how cities around the world are responding to extreme heat: Scorching temperatures and record breaking heat have already grabbed headlines this year as increasingly [...]
Cleveland’s Tree Canopy Is in Trouble
June 24th, 2023 Via Inside Climate News, an article on new efforts to bring more trees back to Forest City to address both climate resilience and environmental justice: Cleveland, Ohio has long been called the [...]

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.