Designing For Disaster: Tsunami House
October 19th, 2023 Via HeatMap, a look at how an architect built a house to withstand mudslides: Dan Nelson has inadvertently become an expert in resilient design because of where he lives and builds houses: Washington [...]
Rising Seas Will Tighten Vise on Miami Even for People Who Are Not Flooded
October 18th, 2023 Via Terra Daily, an article on how rising seas will tighten a vise on Miami even for people who are not flooded:Current potential flood exposure (blue areas) in downtown Miami (left panel) and with [...]
Efficient Grid-Interactive Buildings
October 18th, 2023 Via IEA.org, a look at the future of efficient grid-interactive buildings in ASEAN: A future with net zero emissions requires scaling up improvements in energy efficiency, electrification of end uses [...]
Green Resilience Hubs: An Energy and Financial Model
October 18th, 2023 Via Yale Center for Business and Environment, a new report on Green Resilience Hubs: This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility of designing and financing a Green Resilience [...]
US Government Purchases Houses at Risk of Falling Into the Sea
October 18th, 2023 Via The Washington Post, a look at the National Park Service’s decision to – in certain instances – purchase homes at risk of falling into the sea to avoid debris and enlarge [...]
The Scorching Divide: How Extreme Heat Inflames Gender Inequalities in Health and Income
October 11th, 2023 Courtesy of the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, a new report that examines the impact of climate-driven extreme heat on women’s unpaid domestic labor, paid employment, and health in India, [...]

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.