美国国家公共电台 NPR Footing The Bill For Climate Change: 'By The End Of The Day, Someone Has To Pay'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Families without flood insurance are wondering if they can rebuild after the flooding from Florence. For those who are covered by insurance, the price is growing, as are the risks. Here's NPR's Colin Dwyer.

COLIN DWYER, BYLINE¹: Florence was a massive, wet monster, and an expensive one, too. Early estimates put the storm's price tag as high as $22 billion. But Florence is just one on a growing list of natural disasters recorded by Munich Re. The German-based company offers insurance for other insurers in case of catastrophe², so they have good reason to keep track. Ernst Rauch leads research on this stuff for Munich Re, and he's been doing it for three decades.

ERNST RAUCH: When I look back to the 1980s, we recorded 200 to 300 events - catastrophe events annually³. And today, we are close to about a thousand events.

DWYER: That means a lot of losses insurers have to be prepared to cover - more than $130 billion worth last year alone. But these losses go beyond the balance sheet.

DAVE JONES: Loss of life, community devastation⁴.

DWYER: That's Dave Jones, California's insurance commissioner⁵. He's not too concerned about hurricanes. It's wildfires that keep him up at night.

JONES: The climate scientists tell us that we're going to continue to see temperatures rise, and that will contribute to more catastrophic weather-related events.

DWYER: You see, climate change is not just on the minds of insurers. It's also on the minds of the officials who regulate them, like Jones.

JONES: In 2017, collectively, we had the highest insured losses on record associated with wildfires in the state's history.

DWYER: It's his job to be sure that insurance companies can continue to cover these losses. But it's also his job to protect the folks who actually suffer those losses. And that's becoming even harder these days, especially in risky⁶ areas for wildfires, like Mendocino County, where California's biggest fire on record blazed earlier this year.

He says complaints about price increases have shot up in these regions. And recently, he has seen a 15 percent increase in the number of homeowners who've found that their insurance company would not renew them at all. Now people are still finding insurance, but more residents are turning to a state-created program as a last resort, which can often be even pricier.

JONES: And those areas that were traditionally thought to be of a lower risk are now being treated by the insurers as a higher risk.

DWYER: And the state expects the situation to get worse. Officials predict the area burned by wildfires will increase dramatically in the coming decades. But it's not just California. Hurricanes, droughts, floods - with global temperatures expected to increase, consumer advocates expect these insurance pains to increase with them. And looking ahead, that pain may not be evenly distributed.

BOB HUNTER: The insurance companies will take care of themselves.

DWYER: Bob Hunter of the Consumer Federation⁷ of America.

HUNTER: But poorer people who can't afford that are going to buy the slimmed-down policies. And then the very poor, of course, will be priced out. So those are the people who will probably - will, not probably - will get hurt the most.

DWYER: That's a point voiced not just by advocates, but by regulators and researchers in the insurance industry.

RAUCH: So it really becomes, sooner or later, a social issue.

DWYER: That's Ernst Rauch of Munich Re again.

RAUCH: By the end of the day, someone has to pay for the increasing risk caused by climate change.

DWYER: And one thing is certain. Those bills will be expensive when they come due. Colin Dwyer, NPR News, New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF WE CAME FROM THE NORTH'S "SEA'S DESCENT")

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

3 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

4 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。