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 »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 »Farmers Insurance Has Lost Its Appetite For Business in Extreme Weather Hotspots
July 12th, 2023
Via Quartz, an article on Farmers Insurance decision to restrict its offerings in Florida and California: Farmers Insurance is dropping home, auto, and umbrella coverage in Florida, it announced yesterday (July 11). The state, infamous for its hurricane seasons, has seen several insurers drop out just ahead of peak hurricane season, which tends to be […]
Read more »Cities ‘Critical Battlegrounds’ For A Sustainable Future
June 25th, 2023
Via the UN, a report on the importance of cities in the battle against climate change and the positive effect that public green space has upon biodiversity, climate, wellness and air quality: When it comes to fighting for a sustainable future, the world’s cities are “critical battlegrounds” and more important than ever to making multilateralism […]
Read more »Slowing Water for Greener Neighborhoods
June 20th, 2023
Via Illuminem, a report on the potential benefits of resilient and absorptive infrastructure: Climate Change has brought fiercer storms with devastating floods and long-lasting droughts that stressed and killed plants and animals. Once we controlled water. These days, water is in control and is harming us. What if we changed our relationship with water to […]
Read more »New Storm-Resistant Street With ‘Porous Pavement’ In New York
June 20th, 2023
Via the Gothamist, a look at a new storm-resistant street with ‘porous pavement’ in Rockaway, just in time for hurricane season: The city unveiled a new storm-resistant street last week along an area of Rockaway that was flooded and destroyed in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. A short strip of Beach 108th Street has now been […]
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.