So the most important thing for the would-be investor to know about global warming is that it is a growth industry. Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere anywhere from half a century to, well, forever, unless we can get the Earth's biosphere to convert more carbon dioxide back to oxygen through photosynthesis. And, with the ongoing destruction of the rain forests, that’s not likely to happen any time in the near future. The best evidence for the biosphere’s inability to cope is that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have gone up every single year for the last 151 years. The last year for which we have measurements, 1998, showed the greatest one-year increase in at least the last 160,000 years—2.88 parts per million.

And the weather’s getting worse. According to FEMA's (Federal Emergency Management Administration) Director James L. Witt, who said, in a May 24, 2000 interview, tornado activity, which traditionally starts in the spring is now starting in January. He also said that "Hurricane seasons seem like they're much more intense." A recent report from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) also confirmed that this hurricane season is likely to be a stronger than average one.

Mr. Witt also said that, from "...what the scientists tell us...We will see...some extremely devastating events in the 21st century.''

Also, in order to bolster your certainty in this new line of investment, we’d offer one more tidbit. Oil and Gas Journal suggests that world oil production will top out at around 84 million barrels a day in 2010 and then plummet to around 36 million barrels a day by 2020 and 12 million barrels a day by 2050.

Can You Say "New Energy Source"?

So, it’s quite likely the weather’s going to get worse, oil’s going to dry up, and global warming is going to increase. (If we don't get our act together and develop alternative sources of energy we’ll also have to use more coal, an even worse producer of carbon dioxide, when the oil runs out.) Unlike Y2K, there's no physical mechanism to make this problem suddenly go away overnight. So, we've got technologies to develop, solutions to implement, and a whole new branch of the economy to generate.

Do we have a trend here, or what? If we were surfers, all the local dudes and dudettes would be yelling to go get the boards and paddle like hell, because the wave of a lifetime has been sighted. Its crest is still ten years out, but that gives you plenty of time to buy all those penny stocks that will become next decade’s new entries into the Fortune 500.

It’s gonna’ be quite a ride.

by Stephen Corrick, contributing editor: DEAD MARS, DYING EARTH

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