Flood and Drought Risk Increasing In Cities
March 18th, 2025
Via BBC, a look at the growing water-related risks facing cities: The world’s 100 most populated cities are becoming increasingly exposed to flooding and drought, according to new research. Charity WaterAid worked with the University of Bristol and Cardiff University on a study using data on climate hazards. The research found that 17% of the […]
Read more »El Paso Is Going to Turn Wastewater Into Drinking Water. Other Cities Will Soon Follow
March 3rd, 2025
Via Inside Climate News, a report on El Paso breaking ground on the first U.S. facility that will treat wastewater for direct re-use in a city water supply, using a four-step process to transform wastewater into clean, potable drinking water. This desert city gets less than nine inches of rain a year and experienced the two […]
Read more »How 1.4B Indians Are Adapting To Climate Change
January 6th, 2025
Via The Economist, a look at how Indians are adapting to climate change: The flood waters were rising and Sukanya Ashin realised she had to get out of her house. Her husband tried to open the back door, but it was blocked by shifting mud. So they wrapped their two-year-old in a blanket and waded through […]
Read more »The Sunbelt’s Growing Population Faces Increasing Climate Hazards
December 22nd, 2024
Via Inside Climate News, a report on new research identifying the counties in the U.S. with large and vulnerable populations exposed to heat stress, water shortages or wildfire, with most found in the southern half of the country: Counties across the southern half of the U.S., especially those with large and socially vulnerable populations, will […]
Read more »The People Fleeing Climate Disasters Are Going to Transform the American South
October 6th, 2024
Via the New York Times, a look at how people will move to avoid future climate disasters: When Hurricane Helene, the 420-mile-wide, slow-spinning conveyor belt of wind and water drowned part of Florida’s coastline and then barged its path northward through North Carolina last week, it destroyed more than homes and bridges. It shook people’s […]
Read more »Climate Migration Is Here. The U.S. Must Invest Accordingly
September 30th, 2024
Via The Washington Post, commentary on the need for the U.S. to realistically assess which geographies are becoming unlivable and which are well suited to larger population settlement. It should then offer incentives for migration toward the latter and away from the former — and direct infrastructure spending accordingly. This week, parts of the Pacific […]
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.