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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 hous

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.

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.