When Cities Were Nature’s Haven
September 6th, 2024
Via Illuminem, a look at how cities and nature are not exclusive from one another: We tend to think that nature and cities are polar opposites. Yet this is not true. As my research on Bangalore or Bengaluru – India’s IT hub – shows, for centuries, the population of this region grew because of nature, not despite it. In my book Nature in the […]
Read more »The Future of Urban Housing Is Energy-Efficient Refrigerators
September 6th, 2024
Via MIT Technology Review, an article on how adapting old, energy-inefficient buildings is less sexy but far greener than many high-tech solutions: The scars and pockmarks of the aging apartments and housing units under the purview of the New York City Housing Authority don’t immediately communicate the idea of innovation. The largest landlord in the […]
Read more »Lagos Turns To Waterways For Green Transport Solution
September 2nd, 2024
Via Terra Daily, a look at Lagos’s use of waterways as a green transport solution: Nigerian saleswoman Ivy Junaid says her daily half-an-hour commute from mainland Lagos to the city’s island business district has changed her life.What was once often a three-hour nightmare drive to work with a pre-dawn start and gnarly traffic has become […]
Read more »Rising Waters, Floating Hot Dog Stands: How Urban Climate-Adaptation May Unfold
September 2nd, 2024
Courtesy of The Washington Post, a graphical look at how cities of the future can withstand a warming planet: How can cities of the future withstand a warming planet? Kristina Hill, an associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley and the head of the Institute of Urban and Regional Development, works with California […]
Read more »New Solution for Flood-Prone Cities: Concrete Made From Shellfish Waste
August 29th, 2024
Via Grist, a report on a new type of concrete that uses discarded shells to trap water. It’s now combating floods and food waste in urban gardens and along cycling paths. This time of year, bushels of rhubarb, potatoes, and lettuce can be harvested in abundance at The People’s Pantry, a community garden that doubles […]
Read more »Resilient Urban Forests: How Tipuana Trees Could Revolutionize City Planning
August 29th, 2024
Via Energy & Environment Leader, a look at how cities could utilize a specific tree species to revolutionize urban planning in an era of climate change: As cities across the globe grapple with climate challenges, innovative approaches to urban planning are becoming increasingly crucial. With projections indicating that 68% of the world’s population will reside […]
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.