Climate Change and International Real Estate

Climate Change and International Real Estate

As I write today the “Mayan Riviera” is being pounded by Hurricane Dean. This is a category 5 hurricane. The area just recovered from Hurricane Wilma. No one really knows if climate change is responsible for increased hurricane intensity or if it is just a cyclical thing. We do know that climates are changing. Climate change will have to affect land uses.

The variety of crops that are planted is already changing in England and many of the Scandinavian countries. Fish migrations are changing. As the polar ice packs break up, new areas will become habitable. Other areas may become less desirable. The Sahara desert was once a fertile plain. Some of the “improvements” that come with habitation are actually causing some of the problems.

Draining the swamps in Florida has affected the aquifer that supplies water to most of the southeast. The drought conditions cause seasonal wildfires. Channeling the Mississippi has increased the intensity and destructiveness of the floods. Many of the causes of climate change are irreversible. All that most of us can do is react. There are things we can do to reduce greenhouse emissions. The behavior changes that are needed to effect real change may cost more than we are willing to pay.

As people move to the wilderness to avoid overcrowding and pollution, the over crowding and pollution follows. Is climate change a “market landmark”? What will happen where? How can savvy investors benefit from the changes? What can we do personally to avoid destroying our habitat?







David Segrest is a REALTOR in Charlotte, NC

David S. Segrest, CIPS, CCIM, TRC, CEA
david@segrestrealty.com
http://www.segrestrealty.com
Serving the world in the Carolinas, Serving the Carolinas in the World