The group of scientists claims that climate change caused the impact of Helene

Climate change was a key factor in the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, a group of scientists said this week.

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a major Category 4 hurricane west-southwest of Perry, Taylor County, Florida on September 27 with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, bringing hurricane-force winds, damaging storm surge and heavy rainfall. Louisiana coast.

The modelers came up with similar estimates of insured losses from the event. The latest estimates came from Verisk, which said U.S. insured losses for Hurricane Helene would range between $6 billion and $11 billion. AccuWeather last week raised its estimate of total damage and economic losses from Helene in the US, and now says losses could be between $225 billion and $250 billion.

A report from the World Weather Attribution released this week found that “climate change is improving conditions for the most powerful hurricanes like Helene, with more intense rainfall and wind speeds.

According to the report, precipitation has been about 10 percent heavier because of warming, and peak wind speeds of similar storms are now about 11 percent higher because of warming.

“If the world continues to burn fossil fuels, causing global warming to reach 2°C above pre-industrial levels, devastating precipitation events in both regions will become 15-25% more likely,” the report said.

Green Insurer Finder

A new internet search tool promises to locate home and auto policies from providers that don’t have heavy fossil fuel investments.

Green America has launched a search directory designed to connect consumers with insurance companies that do not underwrite fossil fuel extraction projects and do not invest heavily in the fossil fuel industry.

The Climate Smart Insurance Directory offers options in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It lists local and regional auto and home insurance providers that offer pricing and policy bundling opportunities.

According to the database’s designers, most states have at least four eligible insurers that consumers can compare.

To qualify, insurers must have no direct investment in the fossil fuel industry (considered a grade A), have investments in fossil fuels under $200 million (grade B) or investments under $500 million (grade C ), as evaluated in a database by Urgewald. , a German environmental and human rights NGO. Companies must also have a financial stability rating of A- or above from AM Best.

Users can go to the database and choose a state and get a list of carriers and a grade.

California, for example, has five listings, including Auto Club Enterprises Insurance Group (Grade A), CSAA Insurance Group (Grade A) and Wawanesa General Insurance Co. (Grade A). Michigan has seven listings, including Hastings Mutual (Grade A), Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Company (Grade A) and Amica Mutual Group (Grade B). New York has nine listings, including Merchants Insurance Group (Grade A), Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. (Grade A) and Utica First (Home Only) (Grade A).

Lloyd’s

Lloyd’s of London should impose binding rules to prevent insurers from supporting the expansion of fossil fuels, the NGO Reclaim Finance said this week.

Reclaim Finance came up with the suggestion as it accused the Lloyd’s market of undermining climate action, according to a Reuters article in the Insurance Journal.

While European insurers such as Generali and Zurich have reduced underwriting for fossil fuel projects, Lloyd’s has left underwriting decisions to unionize members.

According to Reclaim Finance, five of Lloyd’s 51 members have policies that restrict coverage of new oil and gas fields.

“If the Lloyd’s market wants to be taken seriously as a leading player in the transition, its managing agents need policies now,” Ariel Le Bourdonnec, an insurance campaigner at Reclaim Finance, told Reuters.

John Neal, chief executive of Lloyd’s, said Lloyd’s was committed to achieving a net zero target and told Reuters in an interview before the NGO’s report came out that Lloyd’s had no plans to ask members to tighten their policies oil and gas underwriting. However, Lloyd’s will monitor the managing agents’ transition plans, he said.

Taking root

In recent years, Americans leaving their homes in search of better jobs and affordable housing are moving to areas at greater risk of natural disasters that have become more destructive due to climate change, a report by news.

For example, Hurricane Milton did not affect the Tampa area in a worst-case scenario that seemed more likely earlier in the week. If it had stayed on track, it would have directly impacted a metropolitan area that has grown by 39 percent (an additional 1 million people) since 2000, according to the CBS News article.

Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in Florida and moved into North Carolina, including the city of Asheville, where the population has grown by 13 percent since 2000. The region attracted new residents by appealing to retirees, telecommuters and other professionals who were looking for the very quality of Asheville. life, according to the article.

“Tampa and Asheville’s population growth is part of a trend noted by economists, demographers and scientists: Regions facing increased risks from climate change are attracting more residents,” the article said. “The juxtaposition of growing population and intensifying natural disasters, in turn, creates the risk of even greater loss of human life and property.”

Previous Columns:

TOPICS
Climate change