Why Cities Are Getting More Rainy
September 10th, 2024
Via Washington Post, a report on a new study has found most cities receive significantly more rain than nearby rural regions, an effect that has become more pronounced over the past two decades: Cities are hot. The fact that urban areas tend to be warmer than their surrounding region — a phenomenon called the heat island […]
Read more »Fossil Fueled Comfort—The History and Cost of Air Conditioning in Bahrain
September 6th, 2024
Via the Middle East Research and Information Project, an interesting look at the history, cost, and social inequities of air conditioning in Bahrain where the first air conditioner in the Gulf was installed in the oil town of Awali: The town had been built by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco)—a creation of the Standard Oil Company […]
Read more »Climate Change Can Cause Bridges to ‘Fall Apart Like Tinkertoys,’ Experts Say
September 5th, 2024
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how extreme heat and flooding are accelerating the deterioration of bridges, engineers say, posing a quiet but growing threat: On a 95-degree day this summer, New York City’s Third Avenue Bridge, connecting the Bronx and Manhattan, got stuck in the open position for hours. As heat […]
Read more »Cold Reality: New Technology Can Make Air Conditioning Less Harmful To The Planet
September 5th, 2024
Via The Economist, a look at innovations in cooling technology that can help reduce the negative impact A/C has on the environment: In many parts of the world, the cool blast of an air-conditioner on a hot day is nowadays seen as a luxury rather than a necessity. Climate change is tipping the balance. Average global […]
Read more »The World’s Fastest Sinking Coastal Cities
September 4th, 2024
Via Planet Anomaly, a graphical look at the world’s coastal cities facing a silent crisis—land subsidence that outpaces sea-level rise. A staggering 44 out of the 48 largest coastal cities are sinking at a rate faster than the oceans are rising. The cities that are sinking the quickest: 1?? Tianjin, China: Peak sinking at 43 mm/year 2?? Ho […]
Read more »Silicon Valley Wants to Fight Fires With Fire
August 31st, 2024
Via the New York Times, a look at how some high-tech entrepreneurs are trying to use new forms of technology to solve the problem of mega-wildfires in the age of climate change: This is the tinder box of the Sierra Nevada. It’s early June, the temperature is 97 degrees Fahrenheit and the air shimmers over […]
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.