Roots of Resilience: How Trees Can Help Fight Rising Heat In Arid Cities
September 14th, 2024
Via The Nature Conservancy, a report on new science that shows increasing greening programs in arid cities could reduce air temperatures near people’s homes by an average of 0.5 degrees C: As the world grapples with increasingly common and devastating heat waves, new science shows that nature-based solutions—like tree planting and water conservation—are important and […]
Read more »Why Schools Are Ripping Up Playgrounds Across The U.S.
September 14th, 2024
Courtesy of The Washington Post, a look at how projects to plant trees, build shade structures and reduce the amount of pavement around schools have become high-priority as schoolyards become dangerously hot: Aerial photos of the Bethune schoolyard in Philadelphia. The Trust for Public Land teamed up with local partners to revamp the schoolyard, transforming […]
Read more »Seeing The Forest Beyond The Trees: Extreme Heat Governance in Jakarta
September 14th, 2024
Via Illuminem, an article on extreme heat governance in Jakarta: Over the past 30 years, the world’s 20 largest cities have seen a 52% increase in days exceeding 35°C. This alarming trend highlights the urgent need to reform urban heat governance. In fact, at a global level, April 2024 was the hottest April ever recorded, with global temperatures […]
Read more »After a Record Hot Summer, Pressure Grows for A/C Mandates
September 12th, 2024
Via Bloomberg, a look at how lawmakers and advocates from NYC to Ontario are considering new policies to protect tenants from extreme heat: Heating on cold days is a widespread requirement for rental homes in much of Canada and the US. Air conditioning, not so much. But as extreme heat becomes a growing health threat, […]
Read more »As Phoenix Deals With Record Heat, Other Cities Using Similar Approaches
September 12th, 2024
Via KJZZ, a look at how other cities are learning from Phoenix’s approach to record heat: Phoenix continues to set heat records this summer, but other communities have also seen an increase in the impacts of extreme heat. And Sara Meerow, an associate professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU […]
Read more »Climate Security = National Security: Securing Our Future in a Hotter, More Dangerous World
September 10th, 2024
Courtesy of Scientific American, commentary on how defending the U.S. is much more complicated in an era of climate change: Flying by helicopter over the Greenland ice sheet, I am struck by its vast expanse of whiteness. But as I look closer I see that much of the ice is dotted with bright blue pools. […]
Read more »'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.