Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 01.09.2020
A pair of MIT engineers created a new way to efficiently remove carbon dioxide from the air. The system can be developed commercially at low cost and has a myriad of potential applications. While there are alternative ways to remove carbon dioxide from gas, they typically only work well on carbon dioxide levels […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 12.18.2019
Heliogen is a startup that wants to “replace fuels with sunlight.” And the Bill Gates-backed solar startup, which has flown under the radar until recently, has made a major green-energy breakthrough for heavy industry. Heliogen “has created the world’s first technology that can commercially replace fuels with carbon-free, ultra-high temperature heat from the sun.” […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 12.11.2019
NOTE: This post is a synopsis of the Executive Summary of the entire 52 page report. The report is well-researched. It’s a comprehensive primer on our climate crisis. And it is sobering, given that it was published by a branch of the US Department of Defense. You can read the entire publication at 2019 Report – […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 12.04.2019
Mark McVeigh, a 24-year-old environmental scientist from Australia, won’t be able to access his retirement savings until 2055. But, concerned about what the world may look like then, he’s taking action now, suing his $57 billion pension fund for not adequately disclosing or assessing the impact of climate change on its investments. The […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 11.28.2019
Climate change is already a reality. Ever more ferocious cyclones and extended droughts lead to the destruction of infrastructure and the disruption of livelihoods, and contribute to mass migration. Actions to combat rising temperatures, inadequate though they are, have the potential to drive dislocation in the business world as fossil fuel giants awaken to the […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 11.14.2019
Home values could fall significantly. Banks could stop lending to flood-prone communities. Towns could lose the tax money they need to build sea walls and other protections. These are a few of the warnings published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco regarding the financial risks of climate change. The collection of 18 papers by […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 11.06.2019
Read the entire article at The Financial Times. Climate change is a financial problem. Insurers stand to lose billions from wildfires raging in California. Banks will suffer as mortgages in big port cities such as London and New York end up under water. Carbon taxes and renewable energy could make oil and gas assets worthless. […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 10.31.2019
Editor’s Note: This is an excellent job of reporting by George Monbiot that appears in full in The Guardian. It validates our premise in “Moving to a Finite Earth Economy” that our current form of capitalism, plus our consumer society, are the root causes of our climate crisis. And that until we make a drastic […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 10.24.2019
To truly bring ourselves into harmony with the natural world, we must return to seeing humanity as part of it. Though a varied and complex story, the widespread separation of humans from nature in Western culture can be traced to a few key historical developments, starting with the rise of Judeo-Christian values 2000 years ago. Prior […]
Bob Leonard - Climate Risk Manager • 10.17.2019
Degradation of natural capital through human activity has brought us to a tipping point. The risks are multiple and varied, from precipitous declines in economic growth to the uncertain future of our species. All sectors of society are being called on to go ‘beyond carbon’ and reduce their negative impact on the natural environment, finding […]