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How Rising Sea Levels Will Impact Property & Environmental Insurance

Mar 8, 2022

Climate change has been making headlines recently, and now experts predict that global warming will lead to substantial sea level rise in the coming years. In fact, scientists are forecasting a one-foot rise in sea level over the next 30 years.

To put this into perspective, government agencies including NASA, NOAA, and USGS, anticipate that the rise in ocean height over the next three decades could equal the total rise we’ve experienced over the past 100 years. As a result, coastal flooding will increase at an alarming rate, endangering many communities. To make matters worse, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, global temperatures will also increase, causing sea level rise to exceed the current projections. Jencap’s experts are focused on how these environmental trends could impact the insurance industry.

Impact on Property

Sea level rise will affect our industry in many ways, with flooding being a primary concern. Increased flooding events will lead to more property claims and exposures, along with property insurance price hikes. Flooding will have the most significant impact on coastal properties, including homes and businesses. Florida leads the U.S. with the most cities – and homes – at risk for flooding, but other coastal states, including Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina are also at high risk.

Environmental Coverage

Environmental liability exposures are expected to increase because of more coastal flooding. When floods inundate properties with water, contamination migrates throughout an area or into a waterway. Flooding also leads to saltwater intrusion, which can result in contaminating potable water aquifers in cities along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

The outcomes are endless for the environmental impact caused by climate change and related factors, like sea level rise, which could easily be an exponential climate change factor within the next few decades. The potential impact to site pollution policies, in particular, will be significant and, yet, this risk is not commonly factored into the underwriting of Pollution Liability policies.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses a Global Forecast System (GFS) weather model to forecast weather events, as well as predict ocean waves and levels caused by atmospheric events. There are many ways that the NOAA model could apply to environmental exposures, including:

  • Existing sites undergoing cleanup are now under water.
  • Flooding introduces contaminants into third-party properties.
  • Flooding of UST systems.
  • Saltwater intrusion for potable water.
  • Flooding damages buildings and infrastructure.
  • Soil, silt, and sedimentation from construction sites (an especially big risk in California due to new construction permits on projects over one acre in area).
  • Trespass from adjacent sites, and more.

To determine your clients’ property and environmental insurance needs, you’ll not only have to assess and account for their risk exposure today, but plan for the future. Global warming and sea level rise are legitimate concerns and our specialized Jencap brokers are staying on top of the trends every step of the way. Contact us to learn about our property and environmental insurance capabilities.
The Jencap Environmental Insurance Team

The Jencap Environmental Insurance Team

Jencap’s team of environmental underwriters have dedicated their entire careers to the environmental sector — they are environmental professionals that happen to sell insurance. Our brokers have backgrounds as environmental consultants and geologists, which gives you and your clients a significant advantage. When it comes to environmental coverage, you don’t want a generalist broker. With the Jencap team, you can trust our brokers have worked every angle of the environmental industry and can customize our exclusive program capabilities for any environmental coverage need.

natural catastrophes | property coverage | weather conditions | weather damage

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Put Jencap to Work For You

The property market has been plagued in recent years with ever-shrinking capacity and rising premiums. Now, more than ever, it’s vital to partner with a strong, national wholesaler who puts its size and reputation to work for you and your clients. By working with Jencap, you’re able to leverage the collective experience and industry expertise of an entire team. We’ll arm you with unparalleled market access, as well as the industry insights needed to navigate this challenging environment. No matter the risk, your clients can trust that with Jencap, they’ll be in the strongest position possible at the negotiating table.
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