Why Batteries Might — Might! — Solve America’s Power-Line Shortage
September 22nd, 2023 Via HeatMap, a look at whether solar plus storage can fix one of the thorniest problems of the energy transition: To talk about renewable energy these days is to talk about power lines. “No [...]
New York City’s $52B Plan To Save Itself From The Sea
September 20th, 2023 Courtesy of The Guardian, an article on New York City’s plan to protect the region from rising waters: The retired FDNY firefighter Patrick Kilgallen remembers the night well. In late October [...]
A Building’s Carbon Footprint Is Much Bigger Than It Looks At First Glance
September 20th, 2023 Via Quartz, a look at how indirect emissions like using electricity can triple a building’s carbon footprint:   While buildings only contribute to 6% of global emissions, accounting for [...]
Heat Action Platform
September 19th, 2023 Useful to see Arsht-Rock’s newly launched Heat Action Platform which people can use to assess their city’s heat resilience and find the solutions that work for their community.  Reflecting [...]
In Miami, It’s No Coincidence Marginalized Neighborhoods Are Hotter
September 18th, 2023 Via Inside Climate News, a report on new research that suggests the problem traces to a historical federal program that was turned against those who needed it most, through a practice known as [...]
How Cities Are Working To Improve ‘Tree Equity’
September 14th, 2023 Via Grist, a report on how data reveals the division of tree cover along racial and income lines in cities — and can also help them fix it: The vision “We know that there are actual real-life [...]

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.