global warming real estate investment ideas?

[winnie]

So, following on the "global warming swindle" thread, I've been wondering the following. Assuming that significant climate change is occuring and will continue to occur, where are the best areas of the U.S. to buy property in as a hedge against this future? Would the state of Montana or northern New York State (Buffalo, etc) be a good place to invest? I really haven't a clue....would it have to be Canada?

There's an article in today's Guardian newspaper that suggests that Europe will be a desert by the 2050s and that everyone in the Eurozone will be flocking to Britain. It reads: "Renowned scientist James Lovelock thinks mainland Europe will soon be desert - and millions of people will start moving north to Britain." (http://environment.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/story/0,,2034370,00.html)

I've been wondering about whether there are better places to live in the U.S. if one believes the doom and gloom sayers. It doesn't really matter too much to me...i'm in my 40s and so I figure I'll be ok here in the bay area for the next 40 until I pop my clogs. But sometimes I think of buying somewhere for our 4 year old daughter....so that she'll have somewhere to go to if the worst prognostications of the scientists turn out to be true.

Anyone have any thoughts, or info on this?
WInnie

 

[wabmester]

It's not as simple as mere "warming." They put their supercomputers to work simulating global warming here in Seattle. Apparently, we're not going to be San Diego Part Deux. More like wet and cloudy springs and bone-dry summers.

article

The surprising jump in springtime clouds appears to be caused by warmer inland temperatures, which cause air to rise and draw in cooler, moist air from the ocean.

The extreme heating on mountain slopes is probably the result of a feedback loop that kicks in as snow melts, Mass said. While snow reflects sunlight, bare ground absorbs it. So as snow disappears, the ground gets warmer, which accelerates the melting and leads to more heat absorption.

Total precipitation doesn't change much across the region, according to the model. But without a snowpack to hold moisture and slowly release it in spring, the region could be facing pronounced dry spells.

 

[macdaddy]

Chicago and the surrounding areas would probably be more desirable if it wasn't so cold in the winter time...

 

[sgeeeee]

I own some ocean front property in Arizona.

 

[ScaredtoQuit]

If any of you guys saw "The Day After Tomorrow", you'd know that the entire northern half of the U.S. is going to be frozen!! Florida and other large portions of the South are going to be under water and the states bordering the frozen tundra like the Carolinas, Kansas, Arkansas, etc are still going to be plenty cold. At the end of the movie, everyone was seeking refuge in Mexico! So, I guess the best alternative is to buy a place in Chalupa!!

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i'm not sure real estate investment is the first thing to come to my mind when considering global warming. given mass migration during the economic upheaval which seems would accompany a 20 ft rise in ocean level, which will carry more weight concerning private property, deeds or guns?

 

[FinanceDude]

i'm not sure real estate investment is the first thing to come to my mind when considering global warming. given mass migration during the economic upheaval which seems would accompany a 20 ft rise in ocean level, which will carry more weight concerning private property, deeds or guns?

Large Guns..........preferably mounted on vehicles............

 

[winnie]

It's not as simple as mere "warming." They put their supercomputers to work simulating global warming here in Seattle. Apparently, we're not going to be San Diego Part Deux. More like wet and cloudy springs and bone-dry summers.

HI Wab--

thanks for the info. I know the changes will be unpredictable, so this is just the kind of info I was looking for. "They" must have done such computer modelling for all of teh US, one would think. I just wonder where one could find the results.

i'm not sure real estate investment is the first thing to come to my mind when considering global warming. given mass migration during the economic upheaval which seems would accompany a 20 ft rise in ocean level, which will carry more weight concerning private property, deeds or guns?

Yeah, well, I'm assuming there'll be a transitional phase (about 100 years or so) when some places in teh US will just be plain uncomfortable as heck to live in. The Armageddon scenario you paint will hopefully not unfold (if at all) for a very long time (i.e. after my daughter has herself lived most of her life). In the interim, I'd like her to have a bolt hole to escape too.

winnie

 

[wabmester]

"They" is the Climate Impacts Group at UW.

link

I believe they did a 2-month long supercomputer simulation that just covered the PacNW.

You might also find some data at the Climate Prediction project.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

The Armageddon scenario you paint will hopefully not unfold (if at all) for a very long time (i.e. after my daughter has herself lived most of her life). In the interim, I'd like her to have a bolt hole to escape too.

not my painting and i'm sooo not into armageddon (do i look like a thumper). sure could be a rough transition if the worst case plays out. i'd just leave a bundle of cash or whatever will be the currency du jour.

 

[bright eyed]

well, couple global warning w/ iminent tectonic shift and CA is out of the running...

 

[justin]

Buy property at 100 feet above mean sea level within 100 miles of the existing coastline. Wait 100 years, and you'll have oceanfront property.

One serious theory I've had regarding coastal North Carolina real estate: don't buy oceanfront property, buy first row, oceanview (on the other side of the road from oceanfront) or second row. Then, when the next hurricane comes, voila - you own oceanfront property!

 

[Khan]

Buy property at 100 feet above mean sea level within 100 miles of the existing coastline. Wait 100 years, and you'll have oceanfront property.

One serious theory I've had regarding coastal North Carolina real estate: don't buy oceanfront property, buy first row, oceanview (on the other side of the road from oceanfront) or second row. Then, when the next hurricane comes, voila - you own oceanfront property!

A story my Father was told:
A man was looking to buy a house near the ocean in North Carolina. The house was across the street from the ocean. He was all set to close when he noticed that the street was "Third Street".

 

[bssc]

I own some ocean front property in Arizona.

Same here. Just waiting for the next big one in California.