Cities Using Nature To Cut Urban Temperatures
February 27th, 2024 Via World Economic Forum, a look at how cities are using nature to cut urban temperatures – by 2°C in one case: Cities around the world are turning to natural solutions to try and reduce [...]
We Can’t Air-Condition Our Way Out of Global Heating Problem
February 26th, 2024 Via The Hindustan Times, a look at extreme heat response and urban resilience: In 2022, the two organisations announced a collaboration and created this position to mainstream heat response and [...]
Collective Adaptation: When Homes Hit 40°C Inside, It’s Better to Draw on Residents’ Local Know-How 
February 26th, 2024 Via The Conversation, a look at the role of collective adaptation in taking on urban heat: Weather extremes driven by climate change hit low-income communities harder. The reasons include poor [...]
Botanical Gardens ‘Most Effective’ Green Space at Cooling Streets in Heatwaves
February 26th, 2024 Courtesy of The Guardian, an article on new research that suggests that botanical gardens are the ‘most effective’ green space at cooling streets in heatwaves: Few things are as soothing on a hot [...]
Freetown The Treetown
February 25th, 2024 Via Re-TV, a short video on ‘Freetown the Treetown,’ an ambitious and innovative ‘pay to grow’ scheme that is incentivising residents to plant and maintain indigenous trees and mangroves [...]
Extreme Heat Inflames Stark Gender Inequalities
February 23rd, 2024 Via the Arsht-Rock Resilience Center, a detailed look atthe impact of climate-driven extreme heat on women’s unpaid domestic labor, paid employment, and health in India, Nigeria, and the United [...]

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.