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The biggest problems brought on by climate change will be 1) water shortages 2) crop failure and 3) flooding of low-lying areas, probably in that order. The "so

The biggest problems brought on by climate change will be 1) water shortages 2) crop failure and 3) flooding of low-lying areas, probably in that order. The "solutions" for 1 and 2 (water desalination and vertical farming) are being worked on by plenty of organizations. A few are also working on fast and efficient construction of housing, but I think that's where the biggest business opportunity lies. People are going to need housing even if we're able to avert disaster, and there's billions of people around the world who are already in need of stable shelter. If you could figure out how to quickly build a cheap and safe high-rise apartment building using relatively unskilled labor and that could be expanded as necessary or even deconstructed and moved, then you would have a world changing, multi-trillion dollar company.

bmh_ca 10y ago
Or water cities.
ThomPete 10y ago
Good thinking too.
anentropic 10y ago
hasn't that been true forever though? isn't the problem that these people can't afford even cheap housing, and no one is buying it for them? these are already current social problems and don't appear to be enough of a business opportunity to be getting solved by capitalism
- ThomPete 10y ago
  I think the point is that access to clean water wont just be a problem for the poorest.
- baron816 10y ago
  I'm not really talking about the poorest of the poor who don't have any skills, although I'm sure there are plenty NGOs who are interested in finding cheap housing solutions for them. I'm talking about those who are emerging from poverty and have found a place in the economy. Climate change will pull them back down into poverty if the place they've settled in is flooded, or no longer has access to clean water, or can't grow enough food. Climate change isn't going to just affect the poor, it will affect the rich too--people who live in places like Southern Florida and New York City. If thousands or millions of those people get displaced, they're going to want to find a decent place to live quickly, and will have funds (either savings, insurance, or from government aid) to afford it. And you're also forgetting the #1 rule of economics, lowering the price for something means more people can afford it. There is a price point where everyone can afford housing, it's just that for many that point is very near zero. Still, the closer you get to zero, the more people fall under that umbrella of being able to afford it.
  - notahacker 10y ago
    Much as I'd like to believe it were true (my dad's niche is modular construction technology) I don't think there's any forthcoming bonanza for faster methods of homebuilding resulting from climate change. Land ownership, access to capital and ties to a particular locale are the obstacles to resettlement, not speed of construction. Finding the a suitable option out of an abundance of existing solutions for rapid affordable housing for various values of "rapid", "affordable" and "housing" is the least of concerns there. Humanity solved the problem of building housing that can cope with flood risk in preagricultural times as well, much as developers on flood plains like to ignore those lessons. Solving regional water supply challenges (whether due to recent desertification, salination or frequent flooding) sounds like a much bigger market. Not to mention conceiving innovative new ways of building flood defences to protect the middle income people and the shiny villas they don't want to leave. I still think the biggest climate change market in the near term is technology aimed at reducing human contributions to it, most of which also promises cheaper energy or less harmful emissions.

bmh_ca 10y ago

Or water cities.

ThomPete 10y ago

Good thinking too.

anentropic 10y ago

hasn't that been true forever though? isn't the problem that these people can't afford even cheap housing, and no one is buying it for them? these are already current social problems and don't appear to be enough of a business opportunity to be getting solved by capitalism

ThomPete 10y ago
I think the point is that access to clean water wont just be a problem for the poorest.
baron816 10y ago
I'm not really talking about the poorest of the poor who don't have any skills, although I'm sure there are plenty NGOs who are interested in finding cheap housing solutions for them. I'm talking about those who are emerging from poverty and have found a place in the economy. Climate change will pull them back down into poverty if the place they've settled in is flooded, or no longer has access to clean water, or can't grow enough food. Climate change isn't going to just affect the poor, it will affect the rich too--people who live in places like Southern Florida and New York City. If thousands or millions of those people get displaced, they're going to want to find a decent place to live quickly, and will have funds (either savings, insurance, or from government aid) to afford it. And you're also forgetting the #1 rule of economics, lowering the price for something means more people can afford it. There is a price point where everyone can afford housing, it's just that for many that point is very near zero. Still, the closer you get to zero, the more people fall under that umbrella of being able to afford it.
- notahacker 10y ago
  Much as I'd like to believe it were true (my dad's niche is modular construction technology) I don't think there's any forthcoming bonanza for faster methods of homebuilding resulting from climate change. Land ownership, access to capital and ties to a particular locale are the obstacles to resettlement, not speed of construction. Finding the a suitable option out of an abundance of existing solutions for rapid affordable housing for various values of "rapid", "affordable" and "housing" is the least of concerns there. Humanity solved the problem of building housing that can cope with flood risk in preagricultural times as well, much as developers on flood plains like to ignore those lessons. Solving regional water supply challenges (whether due to recent desertification, salination or frequent flooding) sounds like a much bigger market. Not to mention conceiving innovative new ways of building flood defences to protect the middle income people and the shiny villas they don't want to leave. I still think the biggest climate change market in the near term is technology aimed at reducing human contributions to it, most of which also promises cheaper energy or less harmful emissions.