Heat Pumps Are Expensive. What if Billionaires Bought Them for Everyone?
August 1st, 2024 Via Grist, an interesting thought experiment on heat pumps which considers whether purchasing for all (at a total cost of more than $1 trillion) would realize savings from lower bills and cleaner air [...]
Nobody’s Moving to US ‘Climate Havens.’ The Federal Government Could Help
July 31st, 2024 Via Bloomberg, a report on how millions of Americans are migrating to cities that are exposed to higher risk of extreme heat, flooding and hurricanes: Wildfires, hurricanes, floods and other hazards [...]
Brown to Green: In NE Ohio, Hello to Solar and Storage; Goodbye to Coal
July 26th, 2024 Via Inside Climate News, a look at how IRA funding will help a city shut down a very old power plant in favor of something cleaner: A coal-fired power plant that started running more than a century [...]
Green Building Pioneers Chart Persuasive Paths To Profit
July 25th, 2024 Via National Observer, a report on a new generation of Canadian developers and architects are designing a future for the building sector that is less polluting and profitable: Decarbonizing [...]
How Battery-Powered Trailers Could Transform Trucking
July 24th, 2024 Truckers have to transport massive loads long distances, every single day, under intense time pressure—and they rely on the semi-trucks they drive to get the job done. Their diesel engines spew not [...]
New York Wants Tall Commercial, Multifamily Buildings To Test Low-Carbon Heating Retrofits
July 22nd, 2024 Via Smart Cities Dive, an article on seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants: Dive Brief: New [...]

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.