 | Obama Names Science, Technology Team
December 20, 2008 – President-elect Barack Obama has named the members of his science and technology team. more... |
| Insured Losses Top $50 Billion in 2008: Swiss Re
December 18, 2008 – Insured losses from catastrophes topped $50 billion in 2008, making it the second costliest year ever, according to initial estimates compiled by a Swiss Re sigma study on catastrophes. more... |
| California Launches Green Chemistry Initiative
December 17, 2008 – The California Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is launching a Green Chemistry Initiative that would “foster a new era in the design of a new consumer products economy – inventing, manufacturing and using toxic-free, sustainable products. more... |
| Obama Names Energy, Environment Team
December 15, 2008 – President-elect Barack Obama has announced his energy and environment team, including Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. Steven Chu as his Secretary of Energy. more... |
| California Adopts Sweeping Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards
December 12, 2008 – The California Air Resources Board's (CARB) has adopted its scoping plan that lays out how California will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. more... |
| Colorado State Professors Issue 2009 Hurricane Predictions
December 10, 2008 – Professors Philip Klotzbach and William Gray of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University are forecasting a somewhat above-average Atlantic basis tropical cyclone season in 2009. more... |
| ACE Unit Forms LEED Consulting Practice
December 5, 2008 – ESIS, Inc., (“ESIS®”) a risk management services company and part of the ACE Group of Companies, has created a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Consulting Practice. This new practice within ESIS Global Risk Control Services will focus on providing green building consulting services to clients. J. Michael Strange has been appointed to lead this new practice. more... |
| Fireman’s Fund Wins Environmental Award
December 2, 2008 – Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has won the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award from the California Environmental Protection Agency for its sustainable practices/facilities. more... |
| NAIC Releases Latest Climate Risk Disclosure Draft
December 1, 2008 – The NAIC Climate Change Risk Disclosure (EX) Working Group has released the fourth version of its Insurer Climate Risk Disclosure Survey and is taking public comments through Dec. 15. more... |
| Environmentalists Unveil ‘Green’ Transition Report
November 25, 2008 – A group of 29 environmental groups has released a 391-page report outlining actions and policies that they would like the Obama Administration to take when it assumes office on Jan. 20. more... |
| U.S. Chamber Supports Energy Initiatives for Obama Administration
November 20, 2008 – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy has unveiled its Transition Plan for Securing America’s Energy Future, an energy policy roadmap with 88 specific recommendations and timelines for President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress. more... |
| Fireman’s Fund Launches Climate Knowledge Center
November 19, 2008 – Fireman’s Fund has launched a new knowledge center that is designed to present climate change and sustainability issues from different perspectives while focusing on proven solutions and concrete case studies. more... |
| Coalition Makes Case for Climate Protection Legislation
November 18, 2008 – The U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of 26 corporations and six non-profit environmental and conservation organizations, has called on Congress and the incoming Obama Administration to pass meaningful climate protection legislation next year. more... |
| Firm Assesses Obama’s Climate Change Agenda
November 12, 2008 – The Climate Change Team at the Washington, D.C. law firm, Wiley Rein, has produced an analysis of how President-Elect Barack Obama is likely to proceed on climate change once his new Administration takes office in January. more... |
| Travelers Offers Hybrid Boat Discounts
October 30, 2008 – Travelers has begun to offer discounts of up to 10 percent for individuals who purchase hybrid boats and yachts. more... |
 | Travelers Launches Green Endorsement for Small Businesses
October 28, 2008 – The Travelers Companies, Inc.has announced the launch of its Master Pac Green Endorsement for small business customers working to employ green standards. more... |
| More Companies Reporting Sustainability Data: KPMG
October 27, 2008 – An analysis released by KPMG shows that twice as many large U.S. companies have reported sustainability data on their environmental, social and governance information this year than three years ago. more... |
| Florida Releases Phase II Climate Report
October 15, 2008 – Florida Gov. Charles Crist’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change has released its Phase II study which notes the state could experience net cost savings of more than $28 billion between 2009 and 2025 if it adopted the more than 50 study recommendations. more... |
| Center Studies Climate-Hurricane Link
October 8, 2008 – The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), working with federal agencies and universities as well as the insurance and energy industries, has launched an intensive study to examine how global warming will influence hurricanes in the next few decades. The goal of the project is to better inform coastal communities, offshore drilling operations, and other interests that could be affected by changes in hurricanes. more... |
| U.S. Presidential Candidates On Climate Change
September 25, 2008 – The U.K. publication, Nature, has conducted interviews with Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on how they intend to deal with climate change if elected the next President of the United States. more... |
| “30% Solution” Falls Short of Adoption by Code Council
September 25, 2008 – The “30% Solution,” a proposal to have the International Code Council boost its 2009 energy efficiency codes for homes by more than 30 percent over the 2006 International Energy Conservation Codes, failed to gain the two-thirds support it needed to take effect. more... |
| ACE Green Offers Insurance for Climate Risks
September 25, 2008 – The ACE Group of Companies has launched ACE Green, a slew of insurance products to help protect businesses from environmental and climate-changed losses. more... |
| NAIC Delays Vote on Disclosure Proposal
September 25, 2008 – Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg has pulled the latest iteration of the NAIC Climate Risk Disclosure proposal, but he plans to have a new version for a possible vote at the NAIC Winter Meeting in December. more... |
| AON Capital Markets Places WindX Transaction
September 25, 2008 – Aon Capital Markets has announced that it has placed the industry's first transaction utilizing the WindX™ parametric index solution. The transaction provides coverage from named storms based on wind speed data at several wind stations in Florida. more... |
| Regional Initiative Holds First Cap-and-Trade Auction
September 25, 2008 – The Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cooperative effort designed to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electric power generators in 10 Northeastern states, has held its first auction. more... |
| Florida Treasury To Review Climate Risk
September 10, 2008 – Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has announced that the state’s Treasury department will become the first in the nation to formally analyze investments for the financial impacts of climate change. more... |
| Travelers Offering Green Building Additional Coverage
September 3, 2008 – Travelers has announced that it is now offering Green Built Additional Coverage to allow customers with new or renovation projects the opportunity to add Green Building coverage enhancements to their Builders' Risk or Installation policies. more... |
| California Enacts Anti-Sprawl Legislation
August 30, 2008 – California is believed to have become the first state in the nation to enact legislation that is intended to curb greenhouse gas emissions via improved land-use planning to combat urban sprawl. more... |
| LIU Offers D&O Coverage Against Climate Change Litigation
August 15, 2008 – Liberty International Underwriters, a part of the Liberty Mutual Group, has unveiled a new policy that offers directors and officers coverage against possible climate change litigation. more... |
| Deadline Extended to Report Climate Initiatives
August 12, 2008 – The deadline for insurers to report on the status of their climate change initiatives has been extended to August 29, according to Evan Mills, Ph.D., the author of the annual report. more... |
| Travelers Joins U.S. Green Building Council
August 6, 2008 – Travelers has announced that it has joined the U.S. Green Building Council as a way to continue to support “our innovative, company-wide initiatives that support environmentally responsible business and personal lifestyle practices.” more... |
| Aon Launches Green Building Property Program
August 6, 2008 – Aon Corporation has launched the Aon Green Building Property Program, the industry's most comprehensive insurance solution to facilitate environmentally friendly and energy-efficient building efforts of commercial property owners and managers. more... |
| Allstate Expands Test of Its Greensm Insurance Option
August 6, 2008 – Allstate Insurance Company has announced an eight-state test expansion for Allstate Greensm, its innovative eco-friendly insurance option that saves customers money and earmarks contributions to local environmental causes. The expansion comes on the heels of promising results from phase one market tests in Colorado and Ohio. more... |
| Gore Calls for End to America’s Reliance on Carbon-based Fuels
July 17, 2008 – Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore delivers a major speech calling on Americans to end the country’s reliance on carbon-based fuels within the next decade. more... |
| Travelers, Nationwide and Agent Groups Support Coastal Solution
July 15, 2008 – The Travelers Companies, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and two leading national insurance agent and broker organizations are supporting a comprehensive, private market approach to improve the affordability and availability of coastal wind storm insurance for homeowners. more... |
| Aon Consulting Becomes Signatory to UN Principles for Responsible Investment
July 15, 2008 – Aon Consulting Worldwide has announced that it has become a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, which is designed to help investors consider the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in investment decision-making and ownership practices, thereby improving the long-term returns to beneficiaries. more... |
| Fireman’s Fund Rolls Out “Green” Homeowners Product
July 8, 2008 – Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has announced that its green homeowners product will be available in 26 states by the end of the summer. more... |
| Allianz Mail Goes Climate-Friendly
July 3, 2008 - Allianz is now sending out 140 million letters each year via carbon dioxide-neutral channels. Climate-friendly mail is a part of the company's climate policy of reducing its carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent by 2012. more... |
| California Charts Course to Fight Global Warming
June 26, 2008 – The California Air Resources Board has unveiled a plan to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent over the next 12 years. more... |
| Congress Hears About Security Implications of Climate Change
June 25, 2008 – Members of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and the Intelligence Community Management (ICM) Subcommittee, heard from several experts on “National Security Implications of Global Climate Change.” more... |
| Dr. James Hansen Goes To Washington... Again
June 23, 2008 – Climate scientist James Hansen, who 20 years ago first warned Congress about the threat of global warming, went back to Congress this week and told lawmakers they need to enact a carbon tax “to wean us off fossil fuel addiction.” more... |
| RMS Makes CAT Analysis Publicly Available
June 11, 2008 – Risk Management Solutions has launched an initiative to keep businesses informed of the impact of catastrophic events by making its expert analysis publicly available on its website. more... |
| Fireman’s Introduces New “Green” Commercial Fleet Policy
June 4, 2008 – Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has introduced new vehicle replacement coverage for commercial fleets – insuring the full replacement cost of vehicles that are total losses for up to their first three model years. In addition, a hybrid upgrade endorsement is available, enabling business’ fleets to “go green”. more... |
| Regulators Adopt Climate White Paper; Expose New Disclosure Draft
June 4, 2008 – Regulators adopted a white paper entitled “The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Insurance Regulation” and exposed a new draft of its climate risk disclosure proposal at the recent NAIC summer national meeting. more... |
| RMS Releases New Loss Index for U.S. Hurricane Risks
June 2, 2008 – Risk Management Solutions has launched Paradex U.S. Hurricane, the first parametric index for assessing insured industry losses from U.S. hurricanes. It combines actual wind speeds at multiple locations with proprietary industry exposure data. more... |
| U.S. Report Looks at Country’s Ecosystems
May 28, 2008 – A report released by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program examines the impact of climate change on U.S. ecosystems. The report represents the work of 13 federal agencies and 38 authors. more... |
| Resilient Coasts Initiative Launched
May 9, 2008 – Ceres and the Heinz Center have launched the Resilient Coasts Initiative, a collaboration of private and public sector groups to find public policy and private market solutions to better protect coastal communities from rising sea levels and other potentially damaging consequences of climate change. more... |
| Smart Natural Cat Policy Coalition Forms
May 9, 2008 – A diverse group of organizations has announced the official formation of Americans for Smart Natural Catastrophe Policy to support environmentally-responsible and fiscally-sound approaches that promote public safety. more... |
| IBHS Building Applied Research Facility
April 24, 2008 – The Institute for Business and Home Safety is building an applied research facility to expand capabilities to create more durable homes and businesses. more... |
| Liberty Mutual Property Unveils Flexible Green Coverage
April 22, 2008 – Liberty Mutual Property, part of Liberty Mutual Group, has introduced a collection of “green” commercial property coverages. Green Select™ is a property policy endorsement that gives customers the coverage flexibility necessary to best protect their green investments. more... |
| Governors Urge Federal-State Climate Partnership
April 21, 2008 – The governors of 20 states have signed a declaration on climate change calling for a federal-state partnership to address the issue. more... |
| Analysts See M&A, Climate Change As Top P&C Issues
April 14, 2008 – A survey by Accenture of 100 insurance equity analysts has found that most analysts foresee an increase in merger and acquisition activity this year and view climate change as a top challenge for the property-casualty industry. more... |
| Seasonal U.S. Hurricane Forecast Accuracy Varies: Aon Re
April 2, 2008 – Annual hurricane forecasts are generally less accurate than when they are measured cumulatively against actual hurricane activity for periods of five years or more, an analysis by Impact Forecasting LLC, a unit of Aon Re Global has found. more... |
| Parties Differ Over Climate Disclosure Proposal
March 31, 2008 – An NAIC proposal to have insurers make mandatory climate risk disclosure statements was met with strong differences in opinions at the NAIC spring national meeting in Orlando, Florida. more... |
| More Knowledge of Global Warming Leads to Apathy: Study
March 27, 2008 – A telephone survey of 1,093 Americans has found that the more individuals know about global warming, the less they personally care about the issue. more... |
| Chubb Establishes Nation's Largest Private Wildfire Protection Network
March 18, 2008 - The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has established the nation's largest private wildfire protection network in time for the start of this year's wildfire season. Chubb will help protect customers' homes in 13 states through a network of highly trained, certified wildfire fighters and a highly effective fire-blocking gel. more... |
| Travelers Commercial Property Coverage Goes Green
March 17, 2008 – In support of the growing tend toward more efficient and environmentally friendly building practices, Travelers Commercial Property Division has launched its Green Building Coverage Enhancements for mid-sized businesses. more... |
| Climate Change Greatest Strategic Risk to Insurance Industry: E&Y
March 12, 2008 — Potential climate change is the greatest strategic risk currently facing the property/casualty insurance industry, according to a new study by Ernst & Young. more... |
| Climate Change Will Affect U.S. Infrastructure: Report
March 11, 2008 – Climate changes are likely to significantly affect U.S. transportation systems, particularly in coastal areas, according to a new report from the National Research Council. more... |
| ACE USA Introduces Policy to Address Environmental Concerns
March 6, 2008 – ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group of Companies, has introduced an endorsement and stand-alone policy to assist customers who want to repair or rebuild damaged, covered real property to an environmentally-friendly standard for its Global Property Commercial Risk and National Accounts product offerings. more... |
