My Climate Risk Interdisciplinary Learning Group

10 June 2024; 13:00-14:00 BST (GMT+1)

Presenter: Swenja Surminski

Zoom link to session

Biography

Swenja is a leading international expert on climate change, resilience and risk finance in a broader sustainability context.  She is currently the global thought leader on climate and sustainability at Marsh McLennan, working across MMC’s four businesses Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman to develop innovative solutions and strategies to help clients become more climate resilient. She also holds a role as Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.  In 2022 she was appointed to the UK’s Committee on Climate Change – Adaptation Committee. Swenja also chairs the not for profit Munich Climate Insurance Initiative and is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. A political scientist and ecological economist by training her work embraces environmental, social and economic perspectives, delivering cutting-edge research and decision-making support for industry and government. Swenja has published widely on these topics and is a contributing author to the IPCC and the EU Science for Disaster Risk Management Report, and lead author of the UK’s Climate Change Risk Assessment. With the World Bank she developed the Triple Resilience Dividend, a tool now widely used to assess the co-benefits of resilience. Her work focuses on capacity building, translation and knowledge transfer between science, policy and industry, building on work as advisor to governments, private sector and civil society, including as Visiting Academic at the Bank of England.  She appears regularly in print, TV and online media.

Swenja Surminski

Paper to be presented

Title:      The role of insurance in adressing physical climate risks.

Author: Swenja Surminski

Link to paper: Chapter 15: The role of insurance in integrated disaster risk management with a focus on how insurance can support climate adaptation and disaster resilience in: Handbook on the Economics of Disasters (elgaronline.com) and

 

Swenja Surminski

 

Session Highlights:

The session covered the following topics:

  • Current state of adaptation efforts and the role of insurance
  • Climate adaptation challenges and social justice
  • Value of Insurance
  • Harnessing innovations in data and risk transfer
  • The need for bold actions and strong leadership

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