The Simple Ways Cities Can Adapt To Heatwaves
July 12th, 2023
Courtesy of the BBC, a look at some simple ways cities can adapt to heatwaves: Satellite images reveal how green spaces, white roads and water features are helping keep cities cool during deadly heatwaves. Ribbons of blue snake through the bird’s eye view of Prague, a cool relief from the intense patchwork of hot red, […]
Read more »Lighter Pavement Really Does Cool Cities When It’s Done Right
July 10th, 2023
Via The Conversation, a look at how lighter pavement really does cool cities when it’s done right: When heat waves hit, people start looking for anything that might lower the temperature. One solution is right beneath our feet: pavement. Think about how hot the soles of your shoes can get when you’re walking on dark […]
Read more »The Cooling Challenge
July 4th, 2023
Via the Clean Cooling Collaborative, a summary of the challenges/opportunities ahead: As temperatures rise, cooling demand is expected to triple by 2050. Cooling already produces more than 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and if we don’t transform how we cool, these emissions could double over the same period. However, if we get cooling right, […]
Read more »Carbon Counter: Cool Heads Needed for Air-Conditioning Conundrum
July 2nd, 2023
Courtesy of The Financial Times, commentary on how increasing air-con penetration could have significant impacts on emissions — but there is plenty that can be done to mitigate it: Climate change is full of vicious feedback loops. Take air conditioning. The hotter it gets, the more of it we will need, leading to additional energy […]
Read more »Burning Question: Will Texas Become Too Hot For Humans?
July 1st, 2023
Via BBC Future, commentary on how much hotter Texas – currently in the grip of a relentless heatwave – could get in years to come: It’s 9.15 pm in San Antonio on 17 June. At this time, young children would usually be asleep and their parents enjoying a balmy summer’s evening. But not this year, […]
Read more »The Race to Build a Better Air Conditioner
June 29th, 2023
Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, an article on the race to build more efficient cooling units needed to meet growing demand without spurring more warming: Air conditioners make people cooler and the world hotter. A slew of startups are launching new products to break that cycle. Just a week into summer, heat waves are causing a […]
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.