Green Roofs and Solar Chimneys Are Here
September 28th, 2024 Via The Guardian, a look at how builders already have the tools needed to build cooler homes for an increasingly hotter world: The US sweltered under record-breaking heat this year, with new research [...]
How Germany Outfitted Half A Million Balconies With Solar Panels
September 27th, 2024 Via Grist, an article on balkonkraftwerk, the simple technology putting solar power in the hands of German renters: Matthias Weyland loves having people ask about his balcony. A pair of solar panels [...]
See-Through Solar Cells That Soak Up The Sun
September 25th, 2024 Via Anthropocene Magazine, a look at see-through solar cells that could he new design offers a glimpse of a future in which building facades or even windows could harness sunlight for electricity: [...]
Europe’s Heat Pumps Put America’s to Shame
September 25th, 2024 Via The Atlantic, a look at Europe’s heat pump adoption and trajectory: In the United States, home heat pumps have been gaining traction (and government subsidies) as highly energy-efficient [...]
A Chicken In Every Pot, A Battery In Every Garage?
September 24th, 2024 Via Steel for Fuel, commentary on the growth in residential battery storage: Today’s chart comes from Sunrun’s August investor presentation: In the span of a single year year, the share of [...]
The Secret Ingredient In Biden’s Climate Law? City Trees.
September 24th, 2024 Via Grist, a report on efforts to plant trees in cities: You’ve probably heard that the Biden administration’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, gives people big rebates and [...]

ABOUT
BLACK SWANS GREEN SHOOTS
Black Swans / Green Shoots examines the collision between urbanization and resource scarcity in a world affected by climate change, identifying opportunities to build sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure through the use of revolutionary capital, increased awareness, innovative technologies, and smart design to make a difference in the face of global and local climate perils.

'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.