TED Talks Daily Will climate change make your home uninsurable? | Amy Barnes
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Sep 15, 2025 
In this discussion, Amy Barnes, a climate risk advisor, delves into the dire implications of climate change on home insurance and its ripple effects on the global financial system. She warns that escalating premiums and the withdrawal of coverage not only endanger homeowners but also signal deeper economic instability. Barnes emphasizes the urgent need for the insurance industry to adapt by investing in resilience strategies to protect vulnerable communities and ensure stability in an uncertain climate.
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Insurance Enables Finance
- Insurance is the lubricant of modern finance because many transactions are contingent on coverage.
- Without insurance, banks will restrict lending and financial activity grinds to a halt.
Premiums Are Risk Signals
- Premiums signal how likely an insurer thinks you are to suffer a loss and can be reduced by risk mitigation.
- Investing in simple protective measures lowers premiums by altering the insurer's risk estimate.
Climate Can Make Places Uninsurable
- If extreme weather becomes near certainty, insurance becomes unaffordable or unavailable in affected places.
- Insurers are now flagging large regions and millions of homes as effectively uninsurable by mid-century.