Profiting from peak oil -- or creating an sustainable future?

I found this rather interesting. Guiness Atkinson Funds is now looking for investors to profit from our energy dependence on fossil fuels. This is nothing new - and it would make sense to invest in it and then use your returns to finance alternative resources. Profits would be made at the expense of people's finances - both developed and developing nations - and the poorest being hurt worst. But nonetheless their site states:

*** Dr. Colin J. Campbell at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil estimates the global oil peak in production will occur in 2008. Guinness Atkinson Funds is estimating the global peak oil production year will occur between 2015 and 2020 (see chart at left). We suspect that soon, daily oil demand will outstrip daily oil production capacity, potentially creating an opportunity to profit from the ownership and exploitation of the world's dwindling hydrocarbon reserves. ***

As the situation hits mainstream investors more - I foresee more speculation from investment firms and investors that this is the way to go. Only those who want to risk their fortunes will pour it into renewable resources - of course those would be the smarter long-term investment. But the globalized society of investors only look to the next quarter. And if they see oil as a strong investment each quarter and wind as a smaller profit-margin - then so be it.

For those of us who want to improve our finances as well as invest in items beneficial to future generations - there are options. I have been informed by Brian Walter Antonich of Minneapolis based Windustry, that there is an organization linking small and large investors to renewable energy projects. The organization is known as C-BED or Community-Based Energy Development.

But for those of us in Minnesota - C-BED also presents us an opportunity to own our own wind:

1/2 of All New Wind Capacity in Minnesota to be C-BED!

Nov 8 2005 - Today the Pawlenty administration has established a goal of bringing 800 MW of C-BED wind energy on-line by 2010. Minnesota currently has 615 MW of existing wind capacity and 123.6 MW is being installed in 2005. According to the MN Dept of Commerce, 2,275 MW of wind energy is needed in Minnesota by 2010, which means that more than 1/2 of all new wind energy in Minnesota the next 5 years is expected to be C-BED, resulting in over a billion dollars of wind energy investment in Minnesota's rural communities and farm economies.

I have signed up to be linked up for the minimum investment of $1000. I personally hope that I am actually able to be part of something that is positive in regards to financial investments and promoting renewable energy. I hope that those who can invest in our state's, region's, and planet's future can do so as well.