US: Needs to Triple Building Retrofit Rate to Meet Decarbonization Targets
June 28th, 2023 Via Utility Dive, a report that the US will need to triple building retrofit rate to meet decarbonization targets:  Dive Brief: The U.S. will need to triple its retrofit rate to meet net-zero [...]
When Heat Becomes Deadly: The Importance of Next-Generation Air Conditioning
June 26th, 2023 Via Rocky Mountain Institute, a look at the need to search for next-generation cooling technologies plus evolving testing standards and performance ratings: As climate scientists predict 2023 to be [...]
An Indian City’s Battle Against Extreme Heat
June 26th, 2023 Via Bloomberg, a look at how cities – the first line of defense in humanity’s battle against deadly heat – are working to protect their people from extreme temperatures: The sun beat [...]
How Megacities Could Lead The Fight Against Climate Change
June 26th, 2023 Courtesy of MIT Technology Review, a report on how reducing emissions in a few of the world’s most populous cities could have an outsized impact on climate change: In 2050, 2.5 billion more people [...]
Greening Sydney 2030
June 25th, 2023 Via Medium, a look at Greening Sydney 2030, a strategy to adapt to climate change and enhance the city’s resilience to likely impacts: Urbanisation and climate change require cities to find new [...]
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 [...]

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.