Disaster data suggests climate signal
"Reinsurance costs and IPCC data suggest a growing climate link to natural disasters, although natural variations may account for many of last year's costs."
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Xholon
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Title: Disaster data suggests climate signal
Description: "Reinsurance costs and IPCC data suggest a growing climate link to natural disasters, although natural variations may account for many of last year's costs."
Url: http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15854430,00.html
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My Notes
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How to run the very simple simulation contained within this workbook::
Click the Run button above.
Click the Step button in the overlay.
Repeatedly click the red Natural Catastrophe square to show the types of natural catastrophes tracked by Munich RE.
In a recent article, Deutsche Welle, "Germany's international broadcaster", reports on natural catastrophes, the reinsurance industry, and the insurance risks associated with climate change. One of the largest reinsurance companies is Munich RE, in Germany::
http://www.munichre.com/en/homepage/default.aspx
According to wikipedia, the company had assets of €236.36 billion at the end of 2010, and its largest single shareholder is U.S. investor Warren Buffett::
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Re
The Munich RE website includes a lot of information and statistics related to climate change, including this statement::
"It is one of the greatest risks facing mankind. In recent years, Munich Re has actively supported and advanced climate protection and adaptation to global warming."
source: http://www.munichre.com/en/group/focus/climate_change/default.aspx
To me it makes sense that insurance companies need a realistic assessment of the risks involved, or they won't stay in business::
http://www.munichre.com/en/group/focus/climate_change/research/default.aspx
The Deutsche Welle article includes a bar graph with information that originated with Munich RE, showing "Proportions of natural disasters 1980 and 2011". I've found the same graph, titled "Natural Catastrophes Worldwide 1980 – 2011 | Number of events", in a Munich RE publication::
http://www.munichre.com/app_pages/touch/naturalhazards/@res/pdf/NatCatNews/2012_01_natural-catastrophe-2011_en.pdf
The graph categorizes types of natural disasters..
The NatCatSERVICE brochure has more information about the categories, which I've included in the XholonClass editor below::
http://www.munichre.com/publications/302-06733_en.pdf
I first became aware that the reinsurance industry might be particularly concerned with climate issues when I read Kim Stanley Robinson's book |Fifty Degrees Below|. In this novel, the reinsurance companies help to fund an international effort to restart the Gulf Stream.
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<!-- source: http://www.munichre.com/publications/302-06733_en.pdf -->
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</HydrologicalEvent>
<ClimatologicalEvent>
<ExtremeTemperature>
<Heatwave/>
<Freeze/>
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