How U.S. Cities Can Scale On-Site Solar with New Federal Incentives
January 11th, 2024 Via RMI, a look at how US cities can leverage the new “direct pay” mechanism build on-site solar projects for local governments: Last year, San Antonio set a new record of 75 days at or above [...]
Where Will All the Electric Cars Be Charged?
January 9th, 2024 Via BBC, a look at where all the electric cars will be charged: If electric cars are ever to become mainstream, then we are going to need a lot more places to charge them. The key is to find space [...]
Extreme Heat is Pushing India To The Brink of ‘Survivability’
January 8th, 2024 Via CNN, a look at how extreme heat is pushing India to the brink of ‘survivability’, but one obvious solution is also a big part of the problem: When blistering extreme heat gripped [...]
Critical Infrastructure Is Sinking Along the US East Coast
January 5th, 2024 Courtesy of Wired, a look at how – up and down the Atlantic Coast – the land is steadily sinking, or subsiding. That’s destabilizing levees, roads, and airports, just as sea levels are [...]
Air Conditioning Could Contribute To Making 2024 The Hottest On Recor
January 5th, 2024 Via 360Info, a report on how – as the world reels from the hottest year on record – the weather outlook for the future looks grim, with extreme heat set to be unavoidable unless we act [...]
How Electricity Could Help Tackle a Surprising Climate Villain: Cement
January 5th, 2024 Via MIT Technology Review, a look at how Sublime Systems is trying to drive down the carbon footprint of cement production: Cement hides in plain sight—it’s used to build everything from roads [...]

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.