Heat Pumps: Still Hot In The U.S.
February 12th, 2024 Via MIT Technology Review, a report on heat pumps, whose sales slowed in 2023, but are gaining ground on fossil fuels: Heat pumps are still a hot technology, though sales in the US, one of the [...]
The Hidden Threat From Rising Coastal Groundwater
February 11th, 2024 Via Maven’s Notebook, a report on the threat that sea level rise won’t hit just homes on shorefronts, but also the infrastructure beneath our feet: When people think about sea level rise, [...]
Is This The Most Energy-Efficient Way To Build Homes?
February 11th, 2024 Via MIT Technology Review, a report on how passive homes – airtight and super-insulated – use around 90% less energy: When the Canadian engineer Harold Orr and his colleagues began [...]
Boston’s First Networked Geothermal Project Will Electrify 7 Public Buildings
February 10th, 2024 Via Smart Cities Dive, a report on how geothermal systems are a promising approach to transitioning communities off fossil fuels for heating and cooling: Dive Brief: Boston will electrify seven [...]
Investing at the Intersection of Affordable Housing and Climate Resilience
February 9th, 2024 Courtesy of Impact Alpha, an article on the potential of investing at the intersection of affordable housing and climate resilience: The cost of addressing the challenges facing humanity today dwarfs [...]
Los Angeles Is Probably Too Good at Preventing Big Floods
February 9th, 2024 Via HeatMap, a look at how recent torrential rains in California may not do a lot for the state’s water security given existing flood control infrastructure built years ago: For the past few [...]

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.