Where Heat Pumps Win — And Where They Lose
March 11th, 2024 Via Heat Map Daily, a report on five key findings from an extremely thorough study by the National Renewable Energy Lab: Some Americans install heat pumps because they care about climate change. But [...]
New York City Ready to Expand Greenways Along Rivers, Railways and Parks
March 9th, 2024 Via Inside Climate News, a look at efforts in New York to expand multi-use paths protected from vehicle traffic toconnect the city’s boroughs and help increase climate resilience as rainfall, [...]
Sinking Cities Push Sea Level Rise Into Overdrive
March 6th, 2024 Via CNN, an article on how sinking cities are pushing sea level rise into overdrive: Dozens of cities along the US coastline are sinking at alarming rates, leaving them far more exposed [...]
Pressed for Space, Solar Farms Are Getting Creative
March 6th, 2024 Courtesy of Bloomberg, a report on how – from retired landfills to decommissioned golf courses and murals on the sides of buildings – solar installations are proliferating in unexpected [...]
In Rural California, A Plan for Shade
March 5th, 2024 Courtesy of The Washington Post, an article on a rural California region’s plan to provide shade from dangerous heat: When Limba Contreras moved to the desert community of Oasis, California, [...]
Silent Impact of Underground Climate Change on Urban Infrastructure
March 3rd, 2024 Via The Cool Down, a report on an additional impact of urban heat islands: “You don’t need to live in Venice to live in a city that is sinking.” A study unveiled a hidden danger [...]

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.