Thermal Energy Networks: The Next Big Thing
January 1st, 2025
Via Volts, commentary on the potential of thermal energy networks: In this episode, I revisit thermal energy networks with HEET’s Zeyneb Magavi and Eversource’s Eric Bosworth. What was once a novel concept — replacing gas networks with shared ground-source heat pumps — is now being piloted across the country. We explore the technology’s remarkable efficiency […]
Read more »‘If 1.5m Germans Have Them There Must Be Something In It’: How Balcony Solar Is Taking Off
December 19th, 2024
Via The Guardian, a report on balcony solar panels which can save 30% on a typical household’s electricity bill and, with vertical surface area in cities larger than roof space, the appeal is clear: They are easy to install, and knock chunks off electricity bills. It may not be Romeo and Juliet, but Spain’s balcony […]
Read more »Copenhagen’s Biggest Climate Threat: Water
December 6th, 2024
Via Terra Daily, a look at how Copenhagen takes on its biggest climate threat — water: In low-lying Copenhagen where rising sea levels, groundwater and rainfall pose a risk to infrastructure, the Danish capital is trying to adapt and protect urban areas from climate change.And Karens Minde park is one of the more than 300 projects […]
Read more »In Parts of New York City, a Vexing Mix of Stormwater and Sewage Have Made Flooding the ‘New Normal’
November 30th, 2024
Via Inside Climate News, a look at New York where city officials and water management experts are working to stop overflows from New York’s archaic sewer system without really knowing how much worse climate change will make storm surges and extreme rainfall: As climate change intensifies, New York City is increasingly facing weather extremes. Currently, […]
Read more »How To See If Your City Is Poised To Bounce Back From The Next Climate Disaster
November 25th, 2024
Via The Washington Post, an article on how to see if your city is poised to bounce back from the next climate disaster: How do you pick a safe place to live? Climate scientists predict an intensifying barrage of hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, flooding and sea-level rise in many places. These disasters are already threatening, and even demolishing, homes. But risk is not all. Resilience, the […]
Read more »Here’s What the Sustainable Cities of Tomorrow Could Look Like
October 23rd, 2024
Via Wired, a look at how – around the world – seeds of regenerative cities have already been planted. As they grow, they will shape the metropolises of tomorrow: The Pan Pacific Orchard hotel in Singapore.PHOTOGRAPH: DARREN SOH Cities are never truly complete and done; instead they are always changing, always evolving. One positive change […]
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.