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 »Cleveland’s Tree Canopy Is in Trouble
June 24th, 2023
Via Inside Climate News, an article on new efforts to bring more trees back to Forest City to address both climate resilience and environmental justice: Cleveland, Ohio has long been called the Forest City, although sources differ on whom to credit for the moniker. Back in 1831, French traveler Alexis de Tocqueville described Lake Erie’s […]
Read more »Milwaukee’s Green Infrastructure 2035 Vision
June 20th, 2023
Via Medium, an article on Milwaukee’s 2035 Vision aims to scale up green infrastructure using natural processes to improve water quality and manage water quantity by restoring the hydrologic function of the urban landscape: Urban development typically retains little or none of the original vegetation and landscape, with impervious surfaces, including buildings, roads, gardens and parks, […]
Read more »New Storm-Resistant Street With ‘Porous Pavement’ In New York
June 20th, 2023
Via the Gothamist, a look at a new storm-resistant street with ‘porous pavement’ in Rockaway, just in time for hurricane season: The city unveiled a new storm-resistant street last week along an area of Rockaway that was flooded and destroyed in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. A short strip of Beach 108th Street has now been […]
Read more »Toronto’s Green Revolution: Harnessing Nature-Based Solutions for a Sustainable Urban Future
June 19th, 2023
Via Medium, a look at how Toronto is using nature-based solutions such as green roofs to build a sustainable urban future: Green roofs offer a multitude of environmental benefits. They serve as natural sponges, absorbing rainwater, reducing runoff, and mitigating urban flooding. By providing insulation, they help in reducing energy consumption and combatting the urban […]
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.