natural catastrophes News

If US Inflation Reflected Rising Home Insurance Costs, It’d Be Even Higher

If the rising price of homeowners insurance were factored into the US Consumer Price Index — a key metric of inflation — it could have added 80 basis points, or about 0.8%, to last year’s CPI increase of 3.4%, according …

Greece Invests Over €2 Billion to Fight Climate Change Effects

Greece is investing €2.1 billion ($2.27 billion) to protect the nation from natural disasters caused by climate change as wildfires are already breaking out ahead of fire season, which normally starts in May. The Aegis program is the first of …

The Risky Economics of ‘Going Bare’ Without Homeowners Insurance

Owning a home can feel like risky business, from coming up with the mortgage payment every month to worrying about disasters like fires or floods or tornadoes. But here is something riskier still: Going without home insurance in the U.S. …

Taiwan Property Insurers Likely to Remain Profitable Despite Quake Losses: GlobalData

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan’s east coast on April 3 caused substantial damage, particularly in Hualien with collapsed buildings and infrastructure disruptions. However, insurers are expected to weather the financial impact well, according to GlobalData, the London-based data …

Worst Taiwan Quake in 25 Years Kills at Least 9, With Hundreds Injured

Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century leveled dozens of buildings on the eastern side of the island, killing at least nine people and disrupting semiconductor production at some of the world’s leading chipmakers. The quake hit at 7:58 a.m. …

Tropical Cyclone Makes Landfall in Northern Madagascar, Killing 18 People

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A tropical cyclone that swept across Madagascar has killed 18 people and left four missing after making landfall on the north of the Indian Ocean island nation earlier this week, authorities said on Friday. The storm …

The New Norm? Global Insured Losses for Nat Cats Keep Breaking Records: Swiss Re

Global insured losses from natural catastrophes in 2023 exceeded US$100 billion for the fourth consecutive year – an indication of the new norm for nat cat losses, according to Swiss Re. Other record-breaking numbers for 2023 included the total of …

Climate Change Speeds Up as Major Indicators Blow Off the Charts, WMO Warns

All the major indicators of climate change smashed historic records last year, with some rising so steeply that the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization warned they were “off the charts.” The lives of millions of people were upended by natural …

Europe Faces 3C of Global Warming. Here’s How It Plans to Cope.

Europe will be 3C hotter even if the world succeeds in limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, bringing with it the heightened peril of extreme weather and trillions of euros of damages to the economy. Such climactic hazards …

Infernos Rage From Texas to Australia as Wildfire Season Kicks Off Early

After a year of deadly wildfires around the globe, the world is burning again from Texas to Australia — and in some regions, the blazes are igniting early. Canada’s Alberta province said last month that wildfire season had already begun, …