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 »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 »Mapped: Renewable Energy and Battery Installations in the U.S. in 2023
June 25th, 2023
Courtesy of the Visual Capitalist, an interesting graphical look at the renewable energy and battery installations in the U.S. in 2023 Renewable energy, in particular solar power, is set to shine in 2023. This year, the U.S. plans to get over 80% of its new energy installations from sources like battery, solar, and wind. The […]
Read more »Can Carbon Removal Become a Trillion-Dollar Business?
June 24th, 2023
Courtesy of The Economist, a look at whether carbon removal become a trillion-dollar business: “Today we see the birth of a new species,” declared Julio Friedmann, gazing across the bleak landscape. Along with several hundred grandees, the energy technologist had travelled to Notrees, a remote corner of the Texas oil patch, in late April. He was […]
Read more »Young Engineers Lay The Foundation For A New Generation of Sustainable Cooling In India
June 24th, 2023
Via Energy Monitor, a report on how young engineers in India are designing a cool world resilient to deadly heatwaves: In the scorching heat in a town near Delhi, Jyoti Pandey rode her scooter packed with takeaway meals. Halfway through her day delivering food to customers, she collapsed from heat exhaustion in the 46°C (114°F) […]
Read more »The Plan to Save New York From the Next Sandy Will Ruin the Waterfront. It Doesn’t Have To.
June 20th, 2023
Via The New York Times, commentary on the plan to save New York from the next Sandy: Last September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers unveiled its proposal to protect the greater New York and New Jersey metro area from the next catastrophic flood. It is an epic plan that includes dozens of miles of floodwalls, levees and […]
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.