From Dhaka to Melbourne, Asia-Pacific Eyes local Climate Solutions
December 16th, 2023
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at how mayors of Asian cities are looking towards local climate solutions to deal with rising temperatures and climate change: Climate change is always close to the mind of Mohammad Atiqul Islam, a local mayor in Bangladesh’s chaotic capital Dhaka. The politician sees thousands flock daily to his city to […]
Read more »Rain Gardens On The Rise In Cities…For Good Reason
December 11th, 2023
Via The Washington Post, a report on cities’ growing use of green infrastructure: When a heavy rainstorm hits D.C., it’s bad news for the city’s rivers. The city’s sewer system, which combines storm runoff and raw sewage in some areas, has a history of overflowing. Instead of flowing into a treatment plant, that toxic mix, along […]
Read more »Climate Change Will Test Tokyo’s World-Class Flood Defenses
November 15th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a look at how Japan has financed enormously expensive infrastructure projects to protect cities from catastrophe, but old adaptation plans may not be enough against increasingly heavy rains: Underneath a stretch of highway north of Tokyo lies an example of Japan’s prowess in engineering solutions to potentially destructive weather events: A network of […]
Read more »Using AI to Combat Floods, Wildfires and Extreme Heat
October 25th, 2023
Via Google, a look at some AI tools and technologies helping communities around the world address the effects of climate change: From experiencing the hottest summer on record to dealing with frequent and devastating floods and wildfires, the effects of climate change are already here and impacting all of us — particularly the most vulnerable […]
Read more »How Green Roofs Can Help Cities Adapt To Climate Change
October 6th, 2023
Via Yale Climate Connections, a report on how green roofs can lower energy costs, help control stormwater, and cool urban areas: In cities, you may notice some roofs that are covered with plants. Many of these green roofs are planted with a low-lying ground cover like sedum. Kathryn McConnell of Brown University says other, more elaborate […]
Read more »China: Making Cities ‘Spongy’ Could Help Fight Flooding
October 5th, 2023
Courtesy of NPR, a report on China’s ‘sponge city’ effort: In the shade of a willow tree, Li Tao and his buddy dabble lines in a slow-moving river channel and occasionally pull out a tiny fish. “It’s good to have a place like this for people to relax,” says Li, his shirt off 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.