Reinsurance News

Climate change news

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

Evolution of technology is key towards a net zero economy: Chubb’s McMullin

5th June 2023

Earlier this year, global insurer Chubb launched its new global climate business unit to help combat the threat of climate change. The new unit is set to build out additional products, and offer additional services to help clients and the insurance industry. In an interview with Reinsurance News, Matt McMullin, ... Read the full article

UNEP to ‘strengthen and deepen’ work with re/insurance industry amid NZIA withdrawals

24th May 2023

With some major re/insurers having withdrawn from the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has stated that there's a "fundamental and urgent" need for collaboration with the global insurance industry to successfully tackle the climate emergency. Earlier this week, reinsurance giant Swiss Re became the latest ... Read the full article

Howden, SMI & R-Cities launch joint global partnership to address urban climate change vulnerabilities

24th May 2023

International insurance group Howden Group Holdings, The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), and Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) have announced a “first of its kind” top talent secondment programme that this year will place five insurance professionals into five cities’ leadership teams for three to six months each. According to the announcement, this ... Read the full article

NOAA & NSF to combine climate & catastrophe models at new research center

19th May 2023

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have announced the creation of an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) focused on modelling catastrophic impacts and risk assessment of climate change to "help better support the needs of the insurance sector." NOAA Chief Scientist, Sarah Kapnick, PhD, ... Read the full article

Republican AGs pen critical letter to NZIA members conveying “legal concerns”

18th May 2023

A consortium of Republican state attorneys general (AG) has penned a letter to insurers of the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) raising concerns about the legality of their commitments to collaborate with other insurers and asset owners in order to "advance an activist climate agenda." The targeted insurers are all NZIA members, ... Read the full article

Aon to launch a climate innovation hub in Singapore supported by its EDB

16th May 2023

Aon plc, a global professional services firm, has announced the launch of a new climate innovation hub in Singapore. The hub is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), to help Aon’s clients around the world navigate environmental risks and opportunities. Aon has a longstanding commitment to Singapore. The firm ... Read the full article

AXA Climate & Planet extend partnership to boost drought insurance program

11th May 2023

Planet Labs PBC has extended its partnership with AXA Climate to offer continued satellite data-driven insights for the development of parametric insurance products. According to Planet, it owns and operates the largest fleet of Earth observation satellites in history, with approximately 200 satellites currently in orbit. The firm states that it collects ... Read the full article

Chubb launches Climate+ Renewables, its first global climate tech insurance solution

11th May 2023

Chubb has announced that the company's Chubb Climate+ global business unit has launched a packaged insurance solution in the UK that will support the growth of alternative and renewable energy projects, principally onshore wind and ground-mounted photovoltaic solar. The product, Climate+ Renewables, is designed for small to medium ... Read the full article

Rational re/insurance pricing key to mitigating flood risk, says Fathom’s Dr Sampson

4th May 2023

“If the re/insurance market prices flood risk rationally, it will increase pressure for wider rational behaviour, which in the long term will encourage decisions that properly account for the underlying risks,” suggests Dr Chris Sampson, co-founder and CTO of flood and climate risk intelligence provider Fathom. Sampson’s comments stem from an ... Read the full article

Reinsurers leading net zero goals but more urgency needed: Twelve Capital

3rd May 2023

New data from independent investment manager Twelve Capital shows that reinsurers are leading the way in terms of some net zero targets within the wider financial industry, with 50% having adopted operational 2030 targets, compared with just 18% in the sector more broadly. But despite this stand-out figure, Twelve Capital maintains ... Read the full article

Energy transition concerns deflecting focus from climate: Beazley

27th April 2023

New data from specialist re/insurer Beazley suggests that short-term concerns about the energy transition may be deflecting focus away from climate change as the environmental issue of most concern. However, Beazley’s survey of 2000 senior business leaders also shows that the long-term threat that climate change poses is rising to the ... Read the full article

EIOPA and ECB outline policy options to promote climate catastrophe insurance

24th April 2023

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Central Bank (ECB) call for increased uptake of climate catastrophe insurance to limit the growing impact of natural disasters on the economy. In their recently published discussion paper they set out policy options on how to better insure households and ... Read the full article

Hannover Re the latest to leave Net-Zero Insurance Alliance

19th April 2023

German reinsurance giant Hannover Re has, after careful consideration, opted to leave the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA), making it the third high profile re/insurer to leave the UN-convened alliance in less than a month. Hannover Re joins NZIA founders Munich Re and Zurich in leaving the association, which was launched at ... Read the full article

Lloyd’s offers to insure NHS for unexpected costs such as pandemic

17th April 2023

According to a report from the Guardian, Lloyd’s of London CEO John Neal has proposed a deal with the UK government to help the NHS meet unexpected costs triggered by major events like the pandemic, as well as government cover for floods or droughts. The Guardian said that Neal "floated the ... Read the full article

For re/insurers, climate change extends beyond weather impacts: Philip Hough, Aspen Re

12th April 2023

Driven in part by the rise in losses from what is being defined in the industry as secondary perils, insurers and reinsurers are increasingly confronted with the physical impacts of climate change. However, the challenges are more than just concerning the weather, according to Philip Hough, Global Head of Property ... Read the full article