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1、Climate risk and insurance:the case for resiliencePwC|Climate risk and insuranceBuilding climate resilience:Insurers can guide the wayThe fundamental purpose of insurance is to provide protection and transfer risk.But this is proving increasingly difficult in atime of more widespread,acute and sever
2、e weather events.Solutions to mitigate climate risk are going to be expensive and no single group insurers included has the wherewithal to address it alone.But insurers can signal the direction of travel.They have more experience analyzing and pricing climate risk than anyone.By actively sharing the
3、ir insights and working with key stakeholders,they can contribute to a comprehensive climate risk mitigation roadmap and the actions that make it real.Insurers can lead the way,help identify needed interventions and prevent any one group including carriers and their customers from bearing the full b
4、runt of the cost to build a more climate resilient society.Insurers have priced weather risk for decades.But the increasing frequency and severity of weather events is putting carriers under strain and compensating policyholders for increasingly costly damage to property and health is becoming unvia
5、ble.In fact,in 2023,natural catastrophes globally resulted in$380 billion in total losses and$118 billion in insured losses.In part because of regulatory challenges that make risk transfer increasingly difficult for carriers financially,the insurance industry has commonly responded to severe climate
6、 risks by no longer covering them.While this pullback may help short-term financial performance,it cant continue unabated without undermining the entire purpose of insurance.A lack of affordable insurance solutions portends“insurance deserts”where risk protection as we know it will disappear.To clos
7、e a growing protection gap without significantly increasing the cost of insurance,carriers need to focus on the causes of losses,enabling prevention and greater resilience.To be clear,many resilient solutions to combat these challenges exist today(sea walls and concrete home construction,for example
8、),but customer adoption has been slow due to compounding factors of affordability,awareness and availability.To drive adoption,investment by carriers and other impacted constituents(builders,financers,government)would provide long-term benefit but little has been done to date.2Climate risk and insur
9、ance:the case for resilience PwC|Climate risk and insuranceAddressing climate risk is a huge challenge,but we believe the industry can adapt to meet it.The associated costs are clear with the homeowners insurance market alone exceeding$100 billion in written premium,a change in loss ratio of just 10
10、0 basis points equates to over$1 billion in claims avoided.With centuries of experience managing climate and longevity risks and trillions of dollars in assets,the industry has the wherewithal to play a critical role by directing capital to where it can help mitigate risk.But to do so effectively,in
11、surers will need to:And,because no one constituency can affect these far-ranging and costly changes alone,collaborate with a variety of stakeholders to chart a viable path to a more resilient future for industry and society at large.3Understand their climate risk exposure on both sides of the balanc
12、e sheet.Create innovative new products to turn those risks into opportunities.Invest in driving adoption of existing risk prevention solutions such as proper home elevation in flood plains,steel roofing,roof tie-downs and flame-retardant solutions.Climate risk and insurance:the case for resilience P
13、wC|Climate risk and insuranceTo help address this growing climate resilience crisis,carriers need a comprehensive understanding of the physical,investment,liability and transition risks creating the shocks for which they and society need to prepare.Property and physical risk Evidence of the property
14、 insurance markets low resilience is abundant.Over the last five years,premiums in states with significant climate exposure notably Florida and California have generally increased more rapidly than the national average.At the same time,severe weather events have affected all parts of the country in
15、recent years,which is contributing to widespread premium increases.These higher premiums are forcing some consumers to forego homeowners insurance,which can lead to catastrophic results.For instance,consider the Texas wildfires of early 2024,where many damaged or destroyed homes were uninsured.Many
16、of the challenges of risk transfer in property insurance markets can be attributed to the fact that our physical infrastructure is not resilient.Most US property,infrastructure design and construction assume a less volatile climate.As a result,physical assets are highly vulnerable to increasingly fr
17、equent and severe weather events.Exacerbating this problem is rapid development in lower cost,high hazard geographies such as the San Bernardino/Inland Empire area of California.This has resulted in higher risks to not only property but also human mortality and morbidity.Despite higher risk profiles
18、,the models insurers use to price premiums dont fully account for rapidly changing climate risks and the tipping points that can lead to market exits.And regulators face a dilemma in that approving models and methodologies allowing insurers to charge premiums reflecting inherent risks could lead to
19、steep premium increases,fueling the emergence of insurance deserts as insurance becomes unavailable or unaffordable for consumers.4Unsustainable risks,declining resiliencePwC|Climate risk and insuranceUsing PwCs geospatial climate intelligence model.We predict a continued increase in severity of fre
20、quency of severe perils going forward.As an example,we looked at the possibility of landfalling US hurricanes for each decade between now and 2050 across“low”and“high”warming climate scenarios.In each instance,our geospatial climate intelligence model predicted continued increases in both frequency
21、and severity of hurricanes making landfall compared to historical levels.This underscores that insurers cannot plan for reduced burdens from catastrophe losses without taking significant measures to promote resiliency.Investment riskIncreasingly acute and severe weather events also contribute to ass
22、et devaluation.Municipal and corporate bonds make up a significant portion of insurer investment portfolios the NAIC estimated that the US insurance industry held approximately$500 billion in municipal bonds and$2.8 trillion in corporate bonds as of December 31,2022,totaling 39%of its total assets.T
23、hese instruments have long been central to duration matching strategies,but these assets increasing risk profiles will challenge carriers ability to meet capital requirements.In the case of municipal bonds,more intense storms,wildfires,droughts,heatwaves and floods impose higher costs on state and l
24、ocal governments,raising spending.In addition,storm damage and resulting declines in property value(coupled with climate-induced migration)can undermine the municipal tax base on the revenue side.In fact,climate change is already making it more difficult for some municipalities to service their bond
25、 payments and raise new capital for needed climate investments.And bond markets are watching.Fifteen-and 30-year municipal bonds have declined in appeal and ratings agencies have already noted weather-related challenges for coastal communities.For carriers,this could have knock-on effects related to
26、 asset portfolio management and risk-based capital requirements should bonds face climate-driven credit downgrades.5Unsustainable risks,declining resiliencePwC|Climate risk and insuranceLegal risk Climate-related litigation is increasing and insurers are under public pressure for providing coverage
27、to carbon-intensive fossil fuel companies under suit.Carriers also are facing legal action for denying litigation expense claims in climate-related cases.Litigation risk also manifests itself among carriers clients with the potential for increased D&O,E&O and general liability exposure,which carrier
28、s may be expected to cover.Reputational riskWho carriers do and dont insure is becoming a market flashpoint.Recent market exits from California and Florida and rate increases by major carriers have received significant press.Furthermore,providing coverage to carbon intensive industries and projects
29、while exiting markets suffering the most from the effects of climate change sends stakeholders and the wider public conflicting messages and increases reputational risk for the industry.Regulatory riskAs regulators increase their focus on climate transition and climate risk,carriers may be subject t
30、o a myriad of climate-related regulations on public disclosure,including requirements from the SEC,the state of California,the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive(CSRD)and the International Sustainability Standards Board(IISB).Of specific relevance to insurers is how to measure Scope 3 G
31、HG emissions,including financed and insured emissions.Further challenges include differing approaches to measuring financed emissions,the nascent nature of insured emissions standards and the fact that emissions data for all asset classes isnt available yet.6Unsustainable risks,declining resilienceP
32、wC|Climate risk and insuranceTransition riskThe world isnt standing still in the face of climate risks.However,efforts to address them are introducing new ones for insurers.As initiatives to transition to lower greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions have become more far-reaching,such as the Inflation Reductio
33、n Acts earmarking of approximately$370 billion in tax credits,incentives and other financing to halve GHG emissions by 2030(compared to 2005 levels),carriers face increasing pressure from regulators and new underwriting requirements for more energy efficient technologies.In response to climate risk,
34、insureds are developing and adopting more climate-friendly technologies.But for insurers this creates both pricing disincentives and reserving uncertainty.Solar panels,for example,increase the overall insured value of a home,therefore increasing premiums compared to the same home without solar panel
35、s.Additionally,electric vehicles have different claims development and costs than their internal combustion counterparts.Without new underwriting and reserving approaches,insureds may be disincentivized to invest in more energy efficient solutions as the cost of insurance may be higher for such prod
36、ucts.The risk of inactionAs we experience more severe impacts of climate change,theres genuine risk in following existing playbooks to prepare for them.The status quo isnt sustainable.Even if were able to avoid the worst physical impacts of climate change,theres still a pressing need for greater res
37、iliency to withstand the effects weve experienced already.7Unsustainable risks,declining resiliencePwC|Climate risk and insuranceIncentivizing the transition to new risk transfer solutions and loss preventionCarriers are developing new products and solutions that are beginning to move the industry f
38、rom of-the-moment,post-claims mitigation to longer-term prevention.As we described in our earlier report on climate change and P&C insurers,this includes underwriting mitigating technologies essential to the transition(like solar panel warranties in P&C)and incorporating them into coverage(such as w
39、earables in life and health).Considering increasingly severe weather trends,carriers may need to rethink traditional admitted insurance products to contemplate multi-year policies and other types of products such as parametric insurance.Parametric insuranceInsurers are starting to redefine the natur
40、e of coverage via the burgeoning parametric market.Parametric policies which determine whether a claims payment is warranted based on a pre-defined“trigger”such as amount of rainfall in a given time offer insureds a way to accept more risk for specific perils.This means that coverage is available,ge
41、nerally at lower cost than traditional products,and that the claims process is faster and more efficient for everyone.Moreover,parametric insurance can be more than just restitutive and promote sustainability.A prominent example is the Nature Conservancys use of parametric insurance to protect Hawai
42、is coral reefs.If hurricanes or tropical storms damage the reefs,then a parametric payout goes directly to restoring them.This also has a long-term benefit for insurers because a healthy ecosystem can significantly mitigate storm damage over the longer term.Carriers and their stakeholders are increa
43、singly seeing the promise in this kind of coverage,evidenced by a significant recent increase in parametric policy issuance and the United Nations Development Programmes move to join forces with a leading global insurer to launch a parametric program for developing countries.$29B estimated size of t
44、he parametric insurance market by 2031(from$12 billion in 2021)Source:Insurance Journal,April 12,20238PwC|Climate risk and insuranceAnother increasingly popular product is insurance linked securities(ILS).Generally taking the form of a catastrophe bond and providing insurers an alternative form of r
45、isk transfer,these securities are typically purchased by institutional investors in other financial sectors.Making use of such products enables the industry to reduce the financial burden from catastrophes and frees up capital that can be invested in technologies or products that increase resilience
46、.For example,a large global insurer recently issued an ILS that also embedded innovative green features,including investment of the collateral into reconstruction and development projects.Another new product is sustainability-linked insurance,which is similar to sustainability-linked loans and green
47、 bonds.Sustainability-linked coverage offers premium incentives and rebates if policyholders meet stated environmental goals.This type of coverage is especially relevant for climate-resilient and clean energy transition projects as well as companies,communities and even individuals who are looking t
48、o lower their carbon footprint.Insurance Linked Securities$16B New catastrophe bond issues in 2023,with an estimated total market size of$45 billion Source:Insurance Journal,January 18,2024Loss prevention to promote resiliencyBesides product innovation,insurers can lead the way in driving greater ad
49、option of more resilient solutions for existing and new buildings.Investment in more resilient communities could benefit high-impact areas such as hurricane-exposed coasts and wildfire prone counties,as well as other areas that may experience severe weather events.While homeowners can take resilient
50、 steps through flame retardant protection,steel roofing/tie-downs and elevated homes,community-wide efforts could drive greater scale and adoption.Such efforts include resilient home building codes and build/retrofit requirements.9Incentivizing the transition to new risk transfer solutions and loss
51、preventionPwC|Climate risk and insuranceMoreover,utility companies could invest in storm-resistant grids and infrastructure to mitigate catastrophic impacts like weveseen in Texas,while simultaneously promoting energy efficiency.Building these kinds of resilient communities requires investment,commo
52、n goals and collaboration among private,public and governmental constituencies.Multi-year property coveragesThe property market may be able to borrow a trick from the life insurance industry by introducing longer-term coverages for certain types of risks,such as wildfires,that emerge similarly to mo
53、rtality events.The risk of a property experiencing a significant loss from wildfire in a given year decreases in subsequent years after an event has occurred.But based on current conventions,its likely that the premium for that property will increase after the initial loss.By spreading risks over mu
54、ltiple years,insurers may be able to offer policyholders more rate stability.The premium and earnings stability from locking in customers for a longer period of time could benefit the carrier.Carriers would need to develop new pricing and reserving strategies to support this and other new product va
55、riations and theyd need to invest in educating customers and regulators about it but the benefits may outweigh the costs.10Incentivizing the transition to new risk transfer solutions and loss preventionPwC|Climate risk and insuranceWeve previously noted the benefits of making coverage and product en
56、hancements available for at-risk individuals and groups based on where acute heat stress is most likely.As components in this coverage,sensors and wearables can help carriers collect and assess data in a real-time feedback loop to better assess,mitigate and price risk at both an ecological and human
57、 level.Insurers also can offer incentives for policyholders who adopt personal decarbonization strategies that also improve health outcomes(cycling to work,for instance),as well as offer employee group health benefits that help them manage climate-related crises.Life and health enhancements11Incenti
58、vizing the transition to new risk transfer solutions and loss preventionPwC|Climate risk and insuranceCollaboration:The key to managing climate risks and closing the protection gapDespite their promise,the resilience actions we describe here have yet to be widely adopted and most activity has occurr
59、ed in siloes.This is not only because its difficult to move away from long-established ways of living and doing business,but also because addressing climate risk and driving towards greater resilience requires substantial time and resource commitments.In fact,no single constituency can build climate
60、 resilience on its own.Accordingly,collaboration among many different stakeholders must occur to encourage wider effort and adoption.This includes active,ongoing carrier interaction with policymakers,regulators,other industries,customers and others.Regulators:First and foremost,insurers and regulato
61、rs need to work together on the serious risks climate change poses to the insurance industry and policyholders.Greater transparency in this regard can build acceptance of regulatory action,as well as encourage wider efforts to address climate-related challenges.As part of this effort,carriers should
62、 encourage regulators to account for the financial and economic costs of regulation and disclosures.To promote a robust insurance market and prevent taxpayers from becoming claims backstops,insurers and regulators need to arrive at solutions that enable the insurance industry to offer coverage to al
63、l potential customers and reduce the burden on“carriers of last resort,”which are increasingly becoming the only choice in many markets.A promising recent development in this area is the NAICs March 2024 issuance of its National Climate Resilience Strategy for Insurance plan,which sets clear goals a
64、nd direction for solvency.Policymakers:Mitigating climate risk will be expensive for everyone.Governments can incentivize resilience by offering meaningful funding for and tax concessions on a wide variety of resilience interventions and emissions lowering initiatives.While there has been some progr
65、ess in this area,insurers can do more to influence policy that helps mitigate climate risk and supports resilient communities.Lenders and banks:Insurers should collaborate with lenders and banks to incorporate resilient property incentives.Potential rate modifications or discounts for resilient home
66、 builds or retrofitting could incentivize adoption by both consumers and builders.Frequent monitoring and reappraisal that offers customers incentives could increase property longevity.Additionally,green bonds and other investments in the larger community could increase resiliency program reach and
67、adoption.Builders:Carriers should work with the construction industry to actively monitor and assess leading edge codes and standards,materials and construction/refurbishment techniques.This will help builders and property owners make more climate resilient choices and comply with local regulations
68、while enabling insurers to more accurately price loss patterns and potential costs.12PwC|Climate risk and insurance Climate and clean energy technology providers:Some carriers already collaborate with a variety of stakeholders to develop new products and services that facilitate the clean energy tra
69、nsition and support economic and community development.This includes entering clean energy and climate tech markets,offering coverage enhancements for green buildings and resilient building materials,establishing partnerships that offer embedded insurance,and offering climate risk management and ret
70、rofit solutions that promote resilience against climate events.In fact,a major global insurer recently announced that it will strengthen its services to“insure”climate transition by increasing its support for renewable energy installations and infrastructure as well as by expanding sustainable claim
71、s management options and other climate risk mitigation interventions,including nature-based solutions.The scientific community:Climate science and climatology are sophisticated disciplines that produce increasingly practical historical data insights that inform future scenario modelling.Scientific i
72、nput,assessment and perspective are vital for all stakeholders to understand what has happened under similar climate conditions,what is happening now and what could occur in the future.Even more importantly,the scientific community also can inform viable solutions to mitigate climate risk.Customers:
73、Insurers and all stakeholders should do more to educate customers on the property and health risks of climate change and the underlying reasons for premium increases.They also should provide customers greater encouragement to take mitigation steps that can reduce coverage costs and availability.As o
74、ne example,a large insurer is informing its retail customers about sustainable mobility and electric vehicle transition.Another example is the California Department of Insurance,which recently released standards on wildfire safety and how individual properties stack up.Because California law makes p
75、roperty risk an insurer rating consideration,this has given carriers,brokers and agents strong incentive to educate homeowners on following property risk mitigation guidelines.The underlying goal:Maintaining the purpose and value of insuranceInsurance exists to provide protection,but more severe wea
76、ther is making it increasingly difficult to write policies and making some policies prohibitively expensive.To stay true to their purpose and avoid eroding the value of insurance,insurers will need new risk transfer and risk mitigation solutions.They can lead the way by sharing their risk expertise
77、and collaborating with a broad set of stakeholders to jointly invest in building a more resilient path forward for the industry and for all of us.13Collaboration:The key to managing climate risks and closing the protection gapPwC|Climate risk and insuranceAcknowledgementsPwCs Veronika Torarp,Steve Bochanski,Adam Kallin,Lindsay Ross,Graham Hall and Matt Laurycontributed to this 2024 PwC.All rights reserved.PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms,each of which is a separate legal entity.Please see for further details.