Adapting Insurance to Climate Risk ft. Dr. Carolyn Kousky

In this episode, Amanda Hsieh talks with Dr. Carolyn Kousky, Associate Vice President for Economics and Policy at the Environmental Defense Fund. Dr. Kousky is an expert in natural disasters, disaster insurance markets, and climate risk management policies. She has been featured in major media outlets and has a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University. Her latest book, Understanding Disaster Insurance: New Tools for a More Resilient Future, is an excellent resource for the episode.

Disaster insurance is good, but you hope you never have to use it. In light of the unfortunate increase in climate-related disasters worldwide, a greater understanding of insurance products and the financial impact of response and recovery is needed. Listen as Amanda and Dr. Kousky talk about how the insurance industry is evolving its response to disaster risk and the trend towards increased climate-related financial disclosures.

Dr. Kousky also explains the concepts of reinsurance and non-traditional insurance products like parametric insurance and microinsurance, shedding light on how the insurance industry is working to implement different models to facilitate more widespread coverage while increasing transparency around climate risks and possible financial impacts for insurers and the insured.

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Episode Resource Links

Dr. Kousky’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckousky/ 

Amanda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahsieh1/ 

Dr. Kousky’s Book: https://islandpress.org/books/understanding-disaster-insurance