ESG Initiative News

January 24, 2018 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement Climate change is here.  2017 set a record for disaster damages.  Such record-breaking is the new normal.  Hurricane Irma was the strongest storm observed in the Atlantic.  Harvey set a new rainfall record for North America.  Records were set…Read More

January 17, 2018 2017 proved to be one of the costliest disaster years on record.  Total damages in the US for the year are estimated to exceed $300 billion.  Insured losses for all natural disasters in 2017 will total around $135 billion. Do events like these cause (re)insurers to update…Read More

November 20, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the predominant provider of flood insurance nationally.  Communities across the country can voluntarily join the program. In exchange for their residents being able to purchase federal flood policies, they must adopt minimum…Read More

November 16, 2017 Marilyn Montgomery At the time of this post, Marilyn was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wharton Risk Center. Flood insurance takes a variety of forms around the world. To complement ongoing discussions about flood insurance reform, the Wharton Risk Center developed an interactive flood insurance market e-platform…Read More

September 15, 2017 Brett Lingle Senior Research Coordinator at Wharton Risk Center Hurricane Harvey destroyed vital roads, public infrastructure, and hundreds of thousands of homes across Houston and southeast Texas. In Florida, Hurricane Irma has left communities reeling with widespread blackouts, severe coastal flooding, and crippled telecommunications systems. When floodwaters…Read More

September 15, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement at Wharton Risk Center The first few days after a disaster, such as we have recently experienced with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, are about emergency response: making sure people are safe, reuniting families, securing housing, filling necessities and restoring lifelines.…Read More

September 6, 2017 Jeffrey Mount Three exceptional hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria— caused staggering damages from floods, winds, and storm surge in recent weeks. It’s likely they will make the record books as the most costly natural disasters in US history. Although California doesn’t get hurricanes, it does get large storms (called…Read More

September 6, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement at Wharton Risk Center As Texas begins the long process of recovery from Hurricane Harvey, and Florida braces for a possible hit from Hurricane Irma, too few victims will have the financial support of insurance payouts. Insurance should be a…Read More

August 31, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement at Wharton Risk Center As the long process of recovery begins for a devastated Texas, it is time to start thinking about how rebuilding can increase the resilience of the flooded households and communities. Incorporating risk reduction measures into…Read More