Iran’s Ancient ‘Wind Catchers’ Beat The Heat Naturally
July 20th, 2023
Via Al Monitor, a look at UNESCO-listed Yazd, a World Heritage Site described as a ‘living testimony to intelligent use of limited available resources in the desert for survival’: Tall, chimney-like towers rise from centuries-old adobe houses in Iran’s desert city of Yazd, drawing in a pleasant breeze for residents of one of the hottest […]
Read more »Las Vegas Plans To Plant 60,000 Trees To Help Combat Urban Heat
July 20th, 2023
Via Las Vegas Sun, an article on Las Vegas’ plan to plant 60,000 trees over the coming three decades to help combat the urban heat island effect: The city of Las Vegas has a lofty goal when it comes to greenery: Plant 60,000 trees over the coming three decades. The Las Vegas Tree Initiative is […]
Read more »Fighting Fire with 5G
July 17th, 2023
T-Mobile has decided to back Pano AI to detect wildfires using its 5G network. San Francisco-based Pano AI has built a wildfire detection device that uses cameras, satellite feeds and artificial intelligence to pinpoint where new wildfires are starting and alert firefighters and other first responders. T-Mobilepartnered with the climate tech startup last September to use […]
Read more »A Climate Laggard in America’s Industrial Heartland Has a Plan to Change, Fast
July 15th, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, a look how lawmakers in Michigan have long fought tough pollution controls, but the toll of flooding, lost crops and damage to the Great Lakes appears to be changing minds: From toxic algal blooms in the Great Lakes to sewage pouring into Detroit basements to choking wildfire smoke that […]
Read more »We’re building roofs wrong. A different approach can save money and lives.
July 15th, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, an article on innovative roof technology which can help combat extreme heat: Years ago, I walked onto the roof of the Palo Alto Research Center. The nondescript beige building in Silicon Valley, known for groundbreaking technology, is the birthplace of the mouse, laser printer and Ethernet. That afternoon, researchers were sending heat […]
Read more »Even ‘Safe’ Places Are Experiencing Climate Chaos in America
July 13th, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, commentary on recent flooding in Vermont and the need to develop responsive infrastructure: The capital of Vermont — the state that often tops those “best states to move to and avoid climate change” lists — was, until Tuesday afternoon, mostly underwater. Swollen by record-breaking rainfall, the Winooski River claimed nearly the entire […]
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.