ClimateWise brings together the insurance industry into a member network convened by The University of Cambridge Centre for Sustainable Leadership, which integrates sustainable leadership with world-leading research capability to address the impacts of climate change. ClimateWise is uniquely placed to bring together business, government and academic expertise; it provides a collective voice for the industry, a forum to interact with other stakeholders and; and it enables the transition of the insurance industry through a defined set of Principles aligned to disclosure requirements.

Decisions and positions of the group do not represent the policies or positions of CISL or of the wider University of Cambridge.

Areas of focus

Disclosure

ClimateWise members are required to annually disclose their firm’s response to climate change through the ClimateWise Principles framework. Member reports are independently assessed, scored and benchmarked as a means to track and incentivise progress year on year. A
collective public review is published each
year which serves to inform regulators and broader financial markets on the insurance industry’s response to climate change.

Research

ClimateWise undertakes impact-orientated, collaborative research to help insurers and the wider financial sector proactively
respond to the risks and opportunities
posed by climate change. Three core
themes focus on the industry’s leadership, regulation and climate-risk.

Convening

ClimateWise membership is open to all (re)insurers, brokers, loss adjusters and other insurance industry service providers globally who are leaders, or aspire to play a leadership role, in supporting the insurance industry respond to the risks and opportunities of climate change.

The Insurance Advisory Council is comprised of C-suite executives from across ClimateWise’s membership base.

"ClimateWise is an important initiative, assisting the insurance industry in its important role to build societal resilience. Insurers have unique insights into the risks that the world is facing and the ClimateWise Principles provide guidance to share this knowledge more broadly; so informing public policy and supporting the identification, understanding and management of climate risk. Through decisive action, insurance companies can facilitate the transition a low-carbon economy that is resilient to a changing climate, while reducing the climate risk protection gap."

Anna Sweeney, former Chair of the Sustainable Insurance Forum and Executive Director, Insurance, Bank of England

Meet the team

nina-seega-160.jpg

Dr Nina Seega

Director, Centre for Sustainable Finance

felicity-alvey_headshot.png

Felicity Alvey

Programme Director, ClimateWise

natalie-thompson160.jpg

Natalie Thompson

Programme Manager,
ClimateWise

joanna-wood.png

Joanna Wood

Project Manager,
ClimateWise

Latest

Gearing up for regulation: The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2018

December 2018 – The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2018 finds the largest year-on-year improvement in group mean score against the Principles since 2014, and confirms the full alignment of the updated ClimateWise Principles with TCFD recommendations.

ClimateWise transition risk framework: Managing the impacts of the low carbon transition on infrastructure investments

The ClimateWise Insurance Advisory council has launched an open-source framework to support investors and regulators assess how the transition to a low carbon economy will impact the financial performance of infrastructure investments. The framework and accompanying step-by-step guide align with the G20 Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and inform practical actions – for asset managers, owners and regulators – on capturing emerging opportunities from the low carbon transition.

Resilient cities: A toolkit for insurers to identify the business case

November 2017 – This toolkit is designed to help insurers identify commercial opportunities, through the development of new products and services that can support cities in their response to natural catastrophes. The toolkit, which is split across two workshops, contains all the material a facilitator needs in order to hold internal conversations on the future role of their organisation in managing the protection gap.

Insurable Cities: The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2017

November 2017 – The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2017 of the six ClimateWise Principles finds a third year of improved scores for members of the insurance industry leadership group. On its 10th anniversary the report finds the industry has improved its investment activities but members should look to further integrate climate change related initiatives into their core business strategies and look to increase board-level oversight on climate change and sustainability.

The City Innovation Platform: A guide to multi-sector collaboration on resilience

May 2017 – This guide looks at the City Innovation Platform (CIP), a two-day workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2016. The CIP explored how the public and private sectors can collaborate more effectively to deliver sustainable, financeable and insurable infrastructure projects. The workshop involved the active participation from a city network of senior Dar city officials, the insurance industry, asset managers and the private sector.

Investing for resilience

December 2016 – Investing for Resilience explores how the insurance industry can contribute to redirecting substantial flows of capital into resilience enhancing investments. This includes helping in the development of a resilience rating system.

Closing the protection gap: ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2016

December 2016 – The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2016 of the six ClimateWise Principles finds a second year of improved scores for members of the insurance industry leadership group. Members have demonstrated their ongoing support for the zero carbon, climate-resilient transition yet the report finds a need for the industry to do more within its investment activities.

A climate of change: ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2015

November 2015 – The 2015 independent annual review of the six ClimateWise Principles shows improved scores for members of the insurance industry leadership group. Progressive insurance companies are considering their exposure to climate risks while also developing their role as societies' risk managers.

Climate Change: A Risk Assessment

20 July 2015

14 July 2015 – Launch of a new report, commissioned by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office, into the role of governments in the fight against climate change.

How do we protect growth in a world of ‘new normals’?

November 2011 – Last Friday the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) approved a new report on ‘Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters for Climate Change Adaptation’. This is compelling reading both for those interested in climate change science, and for those working everyday to protect future economic and social activity.