merrill lunch

Warning to U.S. companies: Just because national lawmakers are dawdling on global warming, don't think your business can dawdle, too.

While U.S. policymakers are running in place on climate change, global investors are moving quickly to make money from its far-reaching risks and opportunities. One Wall Street firm is calling climate change the "next global mega-trend," after the opening of the Iron Curtain and the Internet revolution. Despite losses from the subprime debacle, European and US investment firms are ramping up their global warming research, trading desks, investments strategies and capital.