Reinsurance News

Climate change news

News on climate change and how it affects the global insurance and reinsurance industry.

Zurich urges businesses to prepare for climate change

25th September 2018

Zurich Insurance Group has called on businesses to act now and prepare for climate change, as internationally-agreed targets for lower greenhouse emissions look set to miss their mark. The new report from Zurich outlines three steps it believes will help companies develop a climate resilience adaptation strategy. These steps include identifying the ... Read the full article

Society must prepare for more frequent and severe extreme weather events: Swiss Re

17th August 2018

Martin Bertogg, Head of Catastrophe Perils at reinsurance giant Swiss Re, has called on society to adapt and prepare for increasingly frequent and severe occurrences of extreme weather conditions, such as the heatwaves and dry spells witnessed in recent times. The Swiss Re Institute, a division of Switzerland-based reinsurer Swiss Re, ... Read the full article

Swiss Re sees climate change link for hurricanes, drought & wildfire

6th August 2018

In an interview with CNBC, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of global reinsurance giant Swiss Re, John Dacey, explained that the firm believes the series of catastrophe events that occurred in the second-half of 2017 are not a one-in-100 year event, but more a one-in-10 year event. After 12 years without ... Read the full article

Germany’s floods a ‘foretaste’ of future climate losses: Munich Re’s Faust

15th June 2018

The severe flooding that has affected western and southern Germany since mid-May 2018 is a ‘small foretaste’ of the effects of climate change on future weather-related disasters, according to Eberhard Faust, Munich Re’s Head of Research for climate risks and natural hazards. Many regions of the country have endured non-stop thunder, ... Read the full article

Climate change and aging populations pose greatest ESG risks, reports Moody’s

13th June 2018

Climate change and aging populations pose the greatest Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks to European re/insurers, according to a new survey by Moody’s Investors Service. Over 90% of respondents to Moody’s survey, which polled 15 European re/insurance companies, said that ESG is an important consideration for their businesses and brand ... Read the full article

UK Gov Environmental Committee proposes mandatory climate risk reporting

4th June 2018

The UK Government’s Environmental Audit Committee has recommended that it should be mandatory for large companies and asset owners to report their exposure to climate change risks and opportunities by 2022. The Committee’s new report on Greening Finance concluded that such a measure would encourage companies to focus on long-term considerations ... Read the full article

Philippines spearheads region-wide ASEAN disaster risk database

21st May 2018

The Philippines has begun sharing disaster risk information with its private sector in an effort to encourage fellow member states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to build a region-wide database on disaster risk management and climate control. By establishing a shared database, the Philippines hopes to mitigate the ... Read the full article

Re/insurers failing to adjust to climate change, reports University of Waterloo

16th May 2018

The re/insurance industry is putting homeowners at risk by not sufficiently considering risks associated with a changing climate in their underwriting practices, according to a new study by the University of Waterloo. The University’s research, which looked at data from 178 re/insurers, concluded that most companies regard risk to property from ... Read the full article

Allianz expands climate strategy with long-term carbon reduction goals

9th May 2018

Allianz Group has significantly expanded its climate strategy with plans to immediately withdraw from re/insuring coal-based power plants and mines, and long-term goals to phase out its investments in coal-based business and re/insurance coverage of related risks by 2040. The Group also plans to support the long-term development of a low-carbon ... Read the full article

Climate change offers growth opportunities for re/insurers: Moody’s

27th March 2018

Moody’s has suggested that the effects of climate changes may present many opportunities for re/insurers to expand their operations by introducing new products, expanding existing ones, and by closing the protection gap. A recent report by the company predicts that insurance will likely become a more widespread part of comprehensive risk ... Read the full article

Lloyd’s Inga Beale warns of climate change impact on re/insurers

26th March 2018

Lloyd's Chief Executive Officer Inga Beale has added her voice to industry experts who warn of climate change having altered the risk landscape after Lloyd's paid out £4.5 billion last year for large claims net of reinsurance. Beale said the re/insurance industry is seeing the impact of climate change, and ... Read the full article

Monetary Authority of Singapore promotes sustainability and technology in re/insurance

23rd March 2018

In a recent speech at the General Insurance Association of Singapore Annual General Meeting Luncheon, Daniel Wang, Executive Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) suggested that MAS will be working closely with re/insurers to promote sustainability and technological innovation in the industry. According to Wang, MAS will encourage re/insurers ... Read the full article

Climate change has a net negative credit impact on P&C industry: Moody’s

16th March 2018

Climate change creates significant challenges for the property and casualty (P&C) re/insurance industry, posing risk management and financial risks which account for a net negative credit impact on the sector, according to a recent Moody's report. "The effects of climate change on the frequency and severity of catastrophic events are difficult ... Read the full article

Verisk study finds strong links between extreme U.S. winters and Arctic warmth

15th March 2018

A recent study by Verisk Analytics’ Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) business and Rutgers University, has claimed that the frequency and severity of extreme winter weather in the U.S. is related to fluctuations in Arctic temperatures. Published in Nature Communications, the study observed that extreme winter conditions in the eastern U.S., ... Read the full article

Swiss Re backs innovative coral reef insurance solution

12th March 2018

Global reinsurance giant Swiss Re has supported the development of an innovative new parametric insurance solution designed to help the conservation of the Mesoamerican Reef, which includes protecting the coral reef and beach sand against the impacts of major hurricanes. The new insurance solution was announced at the 2018 World Ocean Summit ... Read the full article