Why Los Angeles Burned
February 15th, 2025
Via Rolling Stone, a report on how the recent Los Angeles wildfires show how unprepared we are for life on a hotter planet: We’re in serious trouble. That’s the message I saw written in the ashes of Los Angeles. And by “we,” I mean every human on this planet, rich or poor, young or old, […]
Read more »‘Virtually Any City on Earth Can Burn Now’
January 18th, 2025
Via Inside Climate News, a look at how – in the superheated 21st century – the old rules for wildfires no longer apply: The journalist John Vaillant’s book “Fire Weather” begins in the spring of 2016 in the boreal forests surrounding the remote Canadian city of Fort McMurray, where a fire is growing. Although wildfire is a […]
Read more »Los Angeles Needs to Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses
January 16th, 2025
Via Wired, a look at how – after the devastation of the Los Angeles fires – officials are ready to rebuild. But defending against future fires requires thinking about more than buildings. As houses continue to burn in Los Angeles, officials have already started talking about rebuilding the city. “We’re going to rebuild this remarkable community […]
Read more »The Sunbelt’s Growing Population Faces Increasing Climate Hazards
December 22nd, 2024
Via Inside Climate News, a report on new research identifying the counties in the U.S. with large and vulnerable populations exposed to heat stress, water shortages or wildfire, with most found in the southern half of the country: Counties across the southern half of the U.S., especially those with large and socially vulnerable populations, will […]
Read more »People Rebuilding Their Homes With Earth
October 25th, 2024
Via BBC, a report on efforts by some homeowners to prepare for/avoid wildfire damage: Melanie Glover rebuilt her home in Superior, Colorado, using earth bricks (Credit: Nick Aspinwall) These people are rebuilding homes lost to wildfires in the western US – only this time they are using a material that they hope won’t burn. Melanie […]
Read more »The People Fleeing Climate Disasters Are Going to Transform the American South
October 6th, 2024
Via the New York Times, a look at how people will move to avoid future climate disasters: When Hurricane Helene, the 420-mile-wide, slow-spinning conveyor belt of wind and water drowned part of Florida’s coastline and then barged its path northward through North Carolina last week, it destroyed more than homes and bridges. It shook people’s […]
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.