Are Floating Cities the Solution to Rising Seas?
May 18th, 2024 Via The New York Times, a look at whether living on the water our future? Floating developments, including a project in progress in South Korea, suggest that it’s more than a pipe dream. Worldwide, [...]
Tokyo: Leader In Urban Sustainability
May 18th, 2024 Courtesy of Illuminem, a look at Tokyo’s leadership in urban sustainability initiatives: Cities are increasingly expected to bear the onus of global sustainable development objectives. After [...]
These Electric School Buses Are on Their Way to Save the Grid
May 17th, 2024 Via Wired, a report on a new kind of magic school bus—one that can both charge and give power back: The big yellow school bus is a US icon, but perhaps not one that future Americans will remember [...]
City Trees Save Lives
May 9th, 2024 Via Wired, a look at new research which suggests more trees could cut heat-related ER visits in LA by up to two-thirds: The humble tree has long protected humans from sickness and even death—and in [...]
Push for Mass Timber As a Sustainable Housing Solution
May 8th, 2024 Via CT NPR, an article on the push for mass timber as a sustainable housing solution in New England: In a remodeled furniture factory-turned-apartment building in New Haven, Connecticut, the walls [...]
Radical Adaptation: Transforming Cities for a Climate Changed World
May 7th, 2024 Via Noema, commentary on society’s tendency to keep rebuilding (and subsidizing) areas that are all but certain to flood again, to burn again, to fall into the ocean? It’s time to rethink [...]

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.