Dubai to Boost Rainwater Drainage System with $8.2B Project
June 26th, 2024 Via Reuters, a report on Dubai’s plans to boost its rainwater drainage system with $8.2 billion project: Dubai will spend 30 billion dirhams ($8.2 billion) to boost its rainwater drainage [...]
The “Venice of Africa” Is Sinking Into The Sea
June 25th, 2024 Via The Economist, a look at how many of Africa’s megacities are being swamped by rising oceans: It may not look like much anymore, but in its heyday La Chaumière was the “premier nightclub [...]
The U.S. Is Finally Making Serious Efforts To Adapt To Climate Change
June 25th, 2024 Via Yale Climate Connections, a report on a major bill before U.S. Congress which could help the country prepare for the coming climate storm: Like an approaching major hurricane whose outer spiral [...]
In Graphic Detail: As Sea Levels Rise, Insurance Retreats
June 20th, 2024 Courtesy of Hakai Magazine, an illustrated look at when insurance companies will call it quits on New Zealand’s coastal communities: West of New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland, the coastal [...]
Could the Global Boom in Greenhouses Help Cool the Planet?
June 20th, 2024 Via Yale e360, a look at how – as agricultural greenhouses proliferate – researchers are finding that their reflective roofs are having a cooling effect. Some experts see this as an [...]
Toronto Homes Can’t Go Carbon-Neutral Unless Developers Get On Board
June 20th, 2024 Via Narwahl, a report on how buildings are Toronto’s largest source of greenhouse gases but, while the city has ambitious plans to fix that, developers are balking at the price tag: In 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.