Bali Shows Why Bamboo Still Matters
October 17th, 2024 Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, a look at how new-generation structures celebrate an enduring construction material: Made of bamboo with a copper roof, New Moon House is a crescent-shaped one-bedroom villa [...]
Engineers 3D Print Sturdy Glass Bricks For Building Structures
October 17th, 2024 Via MIT News, a look at innovative new glass bricks which can be repurposed many times over, and withstand similar pressures as their concrete counterparts: The team made strong, multilayered glass [...]
Where Climate Change Poses The Most and Least Risk To American Homeowners
October 15th, 2024 Via the Washington Post, a report on where climate change poses the most and least risk to American homeowners: In 2017, Angela and Donald Brudos moved to a modest, ranch-style house where the [...]
DARPA Thinks Walls of Oysters Could Protect Shores Against Hurricanes
October 11th, 2024 Via Wired, a report on how the US defense research agency is funding three universities to engineer reef structures that will be colonized by corals and bivalves and absorb the power of future [...]
Urban Heat Stress Is Another Disparity in the World’s Most Unequal Nation
October 11th, 2024 Via Bloomberg, a look at how South African shantytowns are far hotter than wealthy city suburbs: Noluthando Geja isn’t looking forward to summer. The unemployed 44-year-old dreads the [...]
When Hurricane Helene Hit, This Disaster-Proof Florida Neighborhood Kept The Lights On
October 7th, 2024 Via Fast Company, a look at a new development on Florida’s coast was designed to be as hurricane-proof as possible. So far, it’s working: Last Thursday, when Hurricane Helene hit the small town [...]

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.