Bangkok Turns To Urban Forests To Beat Worsening Floods
October 20th, 2024
Via Mongabay, a report on Bangkok’s use of urban forests to address flooding: Bangkok is launching city forests to help beat flooding by soaking up excess rainwater runoff. A new park slated to open in December will feature 4,500 trees, a floodplain and a weir to slow the flow of water; another newly opened $20 […]
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 »Rising Seas, Subsidence, and Our Crumbling Shores
July 10th, 2024
Via Earth Island, a report on rising seas, subsidence, and our crumbling shores: THIS SPRING, I found myself on a nature run in Junipero Serra Park, in San Bruno, a small town on the peninsula south of San Francisco. The park is a leafy-green oasis amid a crowded, affluent part of the Bay Area: shaded […]
Read more »Mexico City’s Thirst Is Causing It To Sink
June 9th, 2024
Via The Washington Post, a look at how the demand for water in Mexico’s capital is draining its underground aquifers — and fueling some of the fastest subsidence rates in the world: On a recent morning, visitors wandered around Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Latin America’s oldest — and one of its largest. Walking from chamber to […]
Read more »Nearly Half of China’s Major Cities Are Sinking
April 19th, 2024
Via Reuters, a report on China’s growing challenge of subsidence: Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released on Friday. The authors of the paper, published by […]
Read more »Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Fast. Yours Could Be Next
April 10th, 2024
Via Wired, a report on how subsidence is causing parts of Mexico City to sink, and it’s happening at an uneven rate. That’s bad news for its sprawling public transportation system: WITH ITS EXPANSE of buildings and concrete, Mexico City may not look squishy—but it is. Ever since the Spanish conquistadors drained Lake Texcoco to make […]
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.