Coastal Cities Brace for Climate Change
February 4th, 2024 Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on how coastal cities are bracing for climate change: Over the past few weeks, flooding from storms has battered cities in the South and the East Coast, [...]
Extreme Heat: Which Cities Will Be Ready for Summer 2024?
February 3rd, 2024 Via Smart Cities Dive, an article on measures cities are undertaking to be ready for summer 2024: Asking what Miami-Dade County’s chief heat officer does in the winter is like asking what Santa [...]
UK Heatwave Plan Urgently Needed to Save Lives, say MPs
February 3rd, 2024 Courtesy of The Guardian, an article on the urgent need for nature-based solutions such as parks and ponds as part of Britain’s heatwave adaptation plan: The UK urgently needs a plan to prevent [...]
Why New Mexico Is Partnering with Google to Hunt Down Leaky Pipes
February 3rd, 2024 Via Fast Company, a look at New Mexico’s 50-year plan for conserving water and developing new sources: New Mexico is teaming up with Google to hunt for leaky water pipes using satellite imagery [...]
Climate Resolve Launches ‘Shine On’ Initiative to Combat Climate Change Through Cool Surface Solutions
February 3rd, 2024 Via Informed Infrastructure, a report on a new initiative to help scale up the adoption of cool surfaces as an essential strategy for combating climate change: Climate Resolve, a Los Angeles-based [...]
Should More Homes and Buildings Be Built Using Straw?
February 3rd, 2024 Via BBC, a look at the potential use of straw in construction: When packed into panels straw is highly insulating This year, straw from Lithuania will envelop a building in the quiet town of [...]

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.