US: Needs to Triple Building Retrofit Rate to Meet Decarbonization Targets
June 28th, 2023
Via Utility Dive, a report that the US will need to triple building retrofit rate to meet decarbonization targets: Dive Brief: The U.S. will need to triple its retrofit rate to meet net-zero targets, with 80% of today’s office buildings to still be in-use by 2050, according to a report sent to Facilities Dive by […]
Read more »How Megacities Could Lead The Fight Against Climate Change
June 26th, 2023
Courtesy of MIT Technology Review, a report on how reducing emissions in a few of the world’s most populous cities could have an outsized impact on climate change: In 2050, 2.5 billion more people will live in cities than do today. As the world grows more urbanized, many cities are becoming more populous while also […]
Read more »Greening Sydney 2030
June 25th, 2023
Via Medium, a look at Greening Sydney 2030, a strategy to adapt to climate change and enhance the city’s resilience to likely impacts: Urbanisation and climate change require cities to find new solutions to maintain and improve the quality of life. Increasing population pressures and limited land and resources, along with climate change, is causing […]
Read more »Cities ‘Critical Battlegrounds’ For A Sustainable Future
June 25th, 2023
Via the UN, a report on the importance of cities in the battle against climate change and the positive effect that public green space has upon biodiversity, climate, wellness and air quality: When it comes to fighting for a sustainable future, the world’s cities are “critical battlegrounds” and more important than ever to making multilateralism […]
Read more »Urban Forests of Melbourne
June 25th, 2023
Via Medium, an article on the potential for urban forests and vegetation to intercept and filter stormwater runoff, absorb airborne pollutants, provide windbreaks to protect buildings from wind damage, regulate urban heat island effects through shading and evaporation, provide wildlife habitats and ecosystem services, and mitigate climate change by storing carbon dioxide: Urban forest programmes […]
Read more »How Are Cities Responding To Extreme Heat?
June 24th, 2023
Via Al Jazeera, a video look at how cities around the world are responding to extreme heat: Scorching temperatures and record breaking heat have already grabbed headlines this year as increasingly severe heat waves continue to be a recurring feature of life in many parts of the world. School hours have been cut short in the […]
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.