Here is a repeat article in regard to insuring in a global warming climate...

Gus: meanwhile if one is not aware of this, the insurance industry is preparing itself to what "global warming" (which it calls "climate change") is doing and will do to its bottom line... The industry members are going entirely with the sciencific knowledge on this subject, rather than fighting it, knowing that should they ignore the stats they will end up wearing budgie smugglers barely hiding their balls.

Since 2007 when there was a serious conference on this subject till today, there has been an increasing number of weather related catastrophes that has made an impact on the odds of insuring. There has also been some other natural disasters such as the Japan tsunami and the New Zealand earthquake, So in line with profit making, Lloyd (losses so far in 2011 of 3.7 billions from 44 billions major payout) joined a chorus of industry voices predicting that the 2011 Q1 losses will result in higher catastrophe rates.

"We expect to see a firming of rates as a result of this first quarter and the recent tornadoes in the United States," Lloyd's chief executive Richard Ward said in a press release.

So there...

http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/news/lloyd-s-reports-2011-q1-claims-losses-of-3-7-billion-based-on-catastrophes-in-japan-new-zealand-and/1000428330/

Meanwhile from that 2007 paper and 2006 conference on insuring in climate change conditions...

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Several recent studies have commented on the apparent increases in hurricane losses during this time period, and weather-related disaster losses generally, with markedly different interpretations. Some argue that loss trends are largely explained by changes in societal and economic factors, such as population density, cost of building materials, and the structure of insurance policies.27 Others argue that increases in losses have been driven by changes in climate. 28 To address this issue, Munich Re and the University of Colorado’s Center for Science and Technology Policy Research jointly convened a workshop in Germany in May 2006 to assess factors leading to increasing weather related loss trends.29 The workshop brought together a diverse group of international experts in the fields of climatology and disaster research.
Among other things, the workshop sought to determine whether the costs of weather-related events were increasing and what factors account for increasing costs in recent decades.
Workshop participants reached consensus on several points, including that analyses of long-term records of disaster losses indicate that societal change and economic development are the principal factors explaining observed increases in weather-related losses.30 However, participants also agreed that changing patterns of extreme events are drivers for recent increases in losses and that additional increases in losses are likely given IPCC’s projected increase in the frequency or severity of weather-related events.

The insurance industry acknowledge that since the early 1900 sea levels have risen on
average 15 centimetres till today, in accordance with scientific measurements.

The present sea level rise is between 2 and 4 millimetres (depending on location) per year or averaged at 3 centimetres per decade.
By 2100, the rise will be a minimum 45 centimetres on present figure should we reduce our carbon dioxide emissions of CO2 by 60 per cent by 2050 and by 80 per cent by the end of the decade.
Sea level will rise more than 4 metres if we do nothing about it.

The warming of the Arctic is releasing toxic chemicals that had been trapped in the ice and cold water, scientists have discovered.

The researchers warn that the amount of the poisons in the polar region is unknown and their release could "undermine global efforts to reduce environmental and human exposure to them".

The chemicals seeping out as temperatures rise include the pesticides DDT, lindane and chlordane as well as the industrial chemicals PCBs and the fungicide hexachlorobenzene (HCB). All of these are know as persistent organic pollutants (Pops), and are banned under the 2004 Stockholm convention.

Pops can cause cancers and birth defects and take a long time to degrade. Over past decades, the low temperatures in the Arctic trapped volatile Pops in ice and cold water. But scientists in Canada and Norway have discovered that global warming is freeing the Pops again. They examined measurements of Pops in the air between 1993 and 2009 at the Zeppelin research station in Svalbaard and Alert weather station in northern Canada.

After allowing for the decline in global emissions of Pops, the team showed that the toxic chemicals are being remobilised by rising temperatures and the retreat of the sea ice, which exposes more water to the sun. The scientists' work is published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/24/melting-arctic-ice-banned-toxins-pops

The Queensland Government says it has scoured the world but cannot find any companies that are willing to insure the state's road network against natural disasters.

Finance Minister Rachel Nolan says Queensland's summer of floods and cyclones caused almost $3 billion worth of damage to state roads.

She says despite an international search costing $1 million, no insurer was even willing to make an offer for coverage.

"That's because it's an enormous network, which as we've just seen can suffer very significant damage," she said.

"The damage to our roads just out of this last one, the damage to state-controlled roads, even leaving aside council roads, was $2.9 billion, so it's a pretty fair whack."

Ms Nolan says the Government hopes any future damage would be covered under the Commonwealth's natural disaster relief arrangements.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-22/no-insurance-for-qlds-roads-minister-says/2911296?section=qld

see toon at top...

By FELICITY BARRINGER

Insurance commissioners in California, New York and Washington State will require that companies disclose how they intend to respond to the risks their businesses and customers face from increasingly severe storms and wildfires, rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change, California’s commissioner said Wednesday.

Up until this point, those states required about a third of larger insurers to turn over the information in a survey; for all others it was voluntary.

“Our experience and other states’ experience as regulators is you get a far better response rate if you require response to be provided than if you just allow companies to decide when and how they will respond,” said Dave Jones, the California commissioner. “Our goal is to have the most complete, best and accurate information possible for investors, the insurance industry, regulators and the broader public.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/business/energy-environment/three-states-tell-insurers-to-disclose-responses-to-climate-change.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print