As London Swelters, Adaptation To Heat Extremes Is ‘Urgent’
August 1st, 2024
Via Climate Resilience for All, commentary on the need for adaptation to heat extremes in urban cities such as London: In July 2022, London experienced a temperature shock: two days of unprecedented 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) heat that buckled rail lines, put pressure on hospitals and the ambulances, overwhelmed air conditioning systems and […]
Read more »Life In A Heat Dome: The American West Is Figuring Out How To Keep Cool
July 29th, 2024
Via BBC, a report on how US cities are fighting extreme heat: From planting trees to painting streets white, US cities are fighting extreme heat. In 2013, Los Angeles became the first large city to pass a law requiring all new homes to have a cool roof. Since then, the city – where the number of days at 35C (95F) is […]
Read more »NYC Bets Big On Porous Pavement With $32M Flood-Control Project
July 20th, 2024
Via Smart Cities Dive, a look at New York City’s first large-scale implementation of the approach after years of testing different porous pavement products: Dive Brief: New York City hopes to ease flooding with its first large-scale implementation of porous pavement, allowing stormwater to drain into the ground rather than overwhelm the city’s sewer system. Seven miles of road in Brooklyn will be […]
Read more »The Safest Places in the U.S. from Extreme Weather
July 20th, 2024
Via Medium, commentary on some of the safest places in the U.S. from extreme weather: Screenshot of U.S. map created by author of safe places to live away from natural disasters Well, the time has come. After decades of sh*tting on the planet, Mother Earth has finally had enough. Just the other day I was lurking in […]
Read more »Extreme Weather Prompts Growth of Parametric Insurance
July 18th, 2024
Via Cipher News, a look at how extreme weather prompts growth of parametric insurance, offering faster, more flexible payments after disasters: Joemar Flores, a spindly 28-year-old, gestured across his family’s farmland, nestled between a steep hill and a river, and expressed gratitude for the rice paddies in the distance. They’re still there, producing food and […]
Read more »Extreme Heat Is Causing Billions in Damages That Insurers Won’t Cover
July 18th, 2024
Via Wall Street Journal, a report on the impact of extreme heat on insurers: The heat waves broiling tens of millions of Americans can warp roofs, shrivel crops, buckle roads and disrupt power supplies. Much of that damage is hard to quantify—and isn’t covered by insurance. Now cities, regulators and companies are sounding the alarm about 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.