The Simple Truth: Climate Change is Driving Up Homeowners' Insurance Costs - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

[Rhiannon12866]

Senator Whitehouse takes to the Senate Floor to ask if his colleagues can agree on this one, simple truth: climate change is increasing the cost of homeowners' insurance.

Sheldon Whitehouse represents Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate, where he champions policies to uphold American leadership in the world, protect our planet in a changing climate, and hold the powerful accountable. - 06/18/2026.


For more from Senator Whitehouse:
Website: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/

[Uncle Joe]

1. Escalating Extreme Weather Risks Push U.S. Insurance System to Breaking Point

January 15, 2026

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Key Findings

* Uninsured Losses Are Surging: In 2024, global losses from natural disasters reached $318 billion, yet only about one-third of these losses were insured. In the U.S., uninsured losses are rising in size and geographic reach as insurers retreat from high-risk areas.

* Homeowners at Risk: Over 1.9 million home insurance policies have been non-renewed in the U.S. since 2018. States like California, Florida, and Louisiana have been the hardest hit, with some communities facing skyrocketing premiums or no coverage at all.

* Protection Gap Deepens: The share of uninsured homes in the U.S. has more than doubled—from 5% in 2019 to 12% in 2025—as the rising climate risk and market dynamics combine to limit the private insurance sector’s ability to close this gap.

* Public Budgets Under Strain: Without insurance, homes become un-mortgageable, property values plummet, and state budgets suffer. Disaster relief spending by the U.S. government exceeded $110 billion in 2024, diverting resources from long-term resilience investments.

* Nature Can Mitigate Risk: Healthy ecosystems materially reduce flood, heat, and storm damages and can outperform engineered defenses on a cost basis. However, these riskreducing ecosystem services are rarely valued in loss estimates or integrated into insurance pricing—despite evidence that every $1 invested in climate resilience can save up to $13 in avoided losses.

(snip)

https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/press-releases/escalating-extreme-weather-risks-push-us-insurance-system-to-breaking-point/

Thanks for the thread Rhiannon

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Thanks so much for the educational post, Uncle Joe!