How insurance can support climate resilience

Insurance is gaining importance in and beyond the climate negotiations and offers many opportunities to improve climate risk management in developing countries. However, some caution is needed, if current momentum is to lead to genuine progress in making the most vulnerable more resilient to climate change

Climate change and increased risk for the insurance sector: A global perspective and an assessment for the Netherlands.

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. As a consequence, economic losses caused by natural catastrophes could increase significantly. This will have considerable consequences for the insurance sector. On the one hand, increased risk from weather extremes requires assessing expected changes in damage and including adequate climate change projections in risk management. On the other hand, climate change can also bring new business opportunities for insurers. This paper gives an overview of the consequences of climate change for the insurance sector and discusses several strategies to cope with and adapt to increased risks. The particular focus is on the Dutch insurance sector, as the Netherlands is extremely vulnerable to climate change, especially with regard to extreme precipitation and flooding. Current risk sharing arrangements for weather risks are examined while potential new business opportunities, adaptation strategies, and public-private partnerships are identified. © The Author(s) 2009

Effect of Solution Composition on the Energy Production by Capacitive Mixing in Membrane-Electrode Assembly

The final edited version of the paper can be found at: http://pubs.acs.org/articlesonrequest/AOR-c9UMxSzGY3eiU5SENNgT The complete citation is: Ahualli, S.; et al. Effect of Solution Composition on the Energy Production by Capacitive Mixing in Membrane-Electrode Assembly. Journal of Physical Chemistry, 118(29): 15590-15599 (2014). DOI:10.1021/jp504461mOpen access in the Journal on May 26, 2015In this work we consider the extent to which the presence of multi-valent ions in solution modifies the equilibrium and dynamics of the energy production in a capacitive cell built with ion-exchange membranes in contact with high surface area electrodes. The cell potential in open circuit (OCV) is controlled by the difference between both membrane potentials, simulated as constant volume charge regions. A theoretical model is elaborated for steady state OCV, first in the case of monovalent solutions, as a reference. This is compared to the results in multi-ionic systems, containing divalent cations in concentrations similar to those in real sea water. It is found that the OCV is reduced by about 25 % (as compared to the results in pure NaCl solutions) due to the presence of the divalent ions, even in low concentrations. Interestingly, this can be related to the “uphill” transport of such ions against their concentration gradients. On the contrary, their effect on the dynamics of the cell potential is negligible in the case of highly charged membranes. The comparison between model predictions and experimental results shows a very satisfactory agreement, and gives clues for the practical application of these recently introduced energy production methods.The research leading to these results received funding from the European Union 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under agreement No. 256868. Further financial support from Junta de Andalucia, Spain (PE2012-FQM 694) is also acknowledged. One of us, M.M.F., received financial support throughan FPU grant from the Universityof Granada

Climate Change and the Insurance Sector

Climate change matters to the insurance sector. In terms of underwriting, on one scenario, the economic cost of weather losses could reach over 1 trillion USD in a single year by 2040. The impacts will be worse in developing countries. The private sector needs to work with the public sector, as part of a “triple dividend” approach that coordinates adaptation, disaster management and sustainable economic development. For asset management the indirect impacts are key. Greenhouse gas emissions have to drop by 60 per cent by 2050, which means transforming the energy economy. Finance for renewables will reach 100 billion USD a year soon. Political uncertainty is a serious blockage to market forces, and the re-evaluation of assets and project returns is happening too slowly. Finally, insurers have a duty as ubiquitous players in the economy and society to help to shape climate policies in a responsible and effective way. The Geneva Papers (2008) 33, 71–90. doi:10.1057/palgrave.gpp.2510152

Climate Change and the Financial Services Sector: An Appreciation of the UNEPFI Study

Climate change poses a major risk to the global economy. The increasing frequency of severe climatic events, coupled with the unwise nature of economic development, has the potential to create unsustainable levels of damage for the commercial and public financial sectors. The greenhouse gases that create this problem are long lived, so action is urgently needed. The Kyoto Protocol is an important step, but it does not go far enough. A long-term international political framework is required based on the principles of precaution and equity. This can be achieved most effectively through market solutions. The financial sector has a key role to play but there are cognitive, political, analytical and operational barriers. These obstacles can be overcome by creating a focus for key actions, and through close collaboration with policymakers. The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance (2003) 28, 382–393. doi:10.1111/1468-0440.00232

Europe

The foregoing conclusions are broadly consistent with those expressed in the IPCC Special Report on Regional Impacts of Climate Change (1998) and the Second Assessment Report(1996). This survey incorporates much more information than previously reported, corroborating previous conclusions (with which it is broadly consistent) but extending knowledge into other sectors. It is more specific about subregional effects and includes new information concerning adaptive capacity