New York’s Skyscrapers Are Causing It To Sink – What Can Be Done about It?
June 19th, 2023 Via BBC, a look at how the ground under New York City is sinking partly due to the sheer mass of all its buildings – and it isn’t the only coastal city to be suffering this fate. As sea [...]
Climate Disasters Make It Harder To Insure Your Home
June 19th, 2023 Courtesy of The Washington Post, an article on how insurance premiums are soaring and carriers are pulling back coverage, citing disaster risks: Homeowners are bracing for hurricane and fire seasons, [...]
North Carolina Beach Houses Have Fallen Into The Ocean. Is There A Fix?
June 19th, 2023 Courtesy of The Washington Post, an article on new studies that show that both beach nourishments and buyouts in Rodanthe, N.C., would be costly, but no funding for any fix is in sight: It’s been a [...]
Five Ways Finance Is Trying to De-Risk Heat Waves
June 19th, 2023 Courtesy of Bloomberg, an article on how – from heatstroke insurance for humans to policies that reimburse farmers for lower milk output – more financial products are addressing climate [...]
The Quest To Build Wildfire-Resistant Homes
June 19th, 2023 Via MIT Technology Review, an article on how – with climate change making more communities vulnerable to fire across the world – adaptation may require more social change than materials [...]
Hot Cities, Chilled Economies: Impact Of Extreme Heat on Global Cities
June 19th, 2023 Via the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock), a report assessing the social and economic effects of extreme heat through the prism of twelve cities that are already [...]

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.