Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion

[SageBrush]

California Bans Insurers From Dropping Policies Made Riskier by Climate Change

That is just stupid, although hopefully the insurers can increase rates to match risk

 

[ohmman]

That is just stupid, although hopefully the insurers can increase rates to match risk

I'd like to hear an explanation why it's "just stupid" to do this for a one year moratorium, to ensure that homeowners who have insurance can take whatever action they need to adapt. Insurance is there, in my view, to insure homeowners against disaster. If the insurer gets to bail ahead of risk, there's minimal value in it. Of course they'll have to adjust rates.

Maybe you only read the headline.

 

[SageBrush]

Maybe you only read the headline.

Good guess, you are right.

As you say, of course they adjust rates ... which makes the entire exercise one of political showmanship.

 

[ohmman]

As you say, of course they adjust rates ... which makes the entire exercise one of political showmanship.

Again, I disagree. The homeowners get a full year to make arrangements. That's vastly different from what was happening, which was having their insurance dropped immediately. California has buyers for properties that might have high insurance rates, but many owners in these areas are not wealthy - they have been there for years. They cannot afford the higher rates. A year can make a big difference for a lot of people.

We are in the WUI here, but not in an area that is likely to have insurance dropped. My elderly neighbors bought their modest home many years ago for what would be considered a reasonable sum by any measure. They were on a fixed budget and wouldn't have been able to afford a hike in insurance rates. They did sell last year, for what would be considered an UNreasonable sum (!) to a couple who has the finances to buffer any insurance rate hike. A year would give a similar family the opportunity to make arrangements to move if necessary.

 

[SmartElectric]

A tell tale thread of proud TMC members posting that they bought their Tesla for reasons other than environmentally friendly. Some boasting that they specifically couldn't have cared less, they like the performance and tech.

My measured reply:
Bought a P3D- for many reasons - environmental consideration wasn't one of them

 

[iPlug]

...hopefully the insurers can increase rates to match risk...

...Of course they'll have to adjust rates...

According to the article, they may not be able to do this easily if at all:

For insurance companies, the most obvious response is to pass the costs on to customers in the form of higher prices. California insurers filed 80 requests for rate increases in 2018, more than double the number of requests in 2015, according to data provided by the state.

But California, like many states, gives regulators the power to reject those requests. And the state forbids insurance companies from setting rates based on what they expect in future damages. Insurers are allowed to set rates only based on prior losses.
​

Suspect after insurers get locked into the 1 year moratorium, if the higher rates requested do not get approved by regulators, many insurers would likely bail then. There will be at least one sore party no matter how this plays out.

 

[ohmman]

Suspect after insurers get locked into the 1 year moratorium, if the higher rates requested do not get approved by regulators, many insurers would likely bail then.

If the CPUC's actions are any indication of how the CDI will work with insurance companies, they'll be allowed to raise their rates.

 

[SageBrush]

Again, I disagree. The homeowners get a full year to make arrangements. That's vastly different from what was happening, which was having their insurance dropped immediately. California has buyers for properties that might have high insurance rates, but many owners in these areas are not wealthy - they have been there for years. They cannot afford the higher rates. A year can make a big difference for a lot of people.

We are in the WUI here, but not in an area that is likely to have insurance dropped. My elderly neighbors bought their modest home many years ago for what would be considered a reasonable sum by any measure. They were on a fixed budget and wouldn't have been able to afford a hike in insurance rates. They did sell last year, for what would be considered an UNreasonable sum (!) to a couple who has the finances to buffer any insurance rate hike. A year would give a similar family the opportunity to make arrangements to move if necessary.

I cannot imagine the insurance company giving updated insurance rates until they are allowed increases. At that time it will not be just your neighbor with a problem, it will be millions of homeowners. How did that year of uncertainty help ?

 

[mspohr]

Cutting air pollution ‘can prevent deaths within weeks’

Cutting air pollution ‘can prevent deaths within weeks’

Cutting air pollution can prevent deaths within weeks, according to scientists. They found the health benefits of clean air were “almost immediate and substantial” and stretched into the long term, saving billions of dollars.


“Our findings indicate almost immediate and substantial effects. It is critical that governments adopt and enforce World Health Organization guidelines for air pollution immediately.

A global review earlier in the year concluded that air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body. The World Health Organization says air pollution is a “silent public health emergency”, with more than 90% of the world’s population breathing toxic air.

 

[Merrill]

To bad we in the US have such an idiot in charge, we to cloud be helping this problem.

 

[Bunky]

Hi Everyone,

Apologies if this is not the right place to post this but just wanted to share a short video I made for my nonprofit on sunny day flooding in Miami.

Cheers!

 

[mspohr]

Hi Everyone,

Apologies if this is not the right place to post this but just wanted to share a short video I made for my nonprofit on sunny day flooding in Miami.

Cheers!

They probably won't get worried until it gets up to their necks.

 

[SageBrush]

They probably won't get worried until it gets up to their necks.

And maybe not even then.

Remember the proverbial frog

 

[mspohr]

European shipping emissions undermining international climate targets

Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping equal the carbon footprint of a quarter of passenger cars in Europe and stand in the way of countries reducing emissions and limiting runaway global heating, analysis reveals.

Despite the scale of shipping emissions from both container and cruise ships, they are not part of emissions reduction targets made by countries as part of the Paris agreement on climate change.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

European shipping emissions undermining international climate targets

Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping equal the carbon footprint of a quarter of passenger cars in Europe and stand in the way of countries reducing emissions and limiting runaway global heating, analysis reveals.

Despite the scale of shipping emissions from both container and cruise ships, they are not part of emissions reduction targets made by countries as part of the Paris agreement on climate change.

Thanks for all of your sharing. This is one of my biggest reasons for not giving gifts or buying anything new without first checking for 2nd hand alternatives. I’m not poor, and can afford to buy anything I need or want, but I shop at Goodwill and other 2nd hand stores more than anywhere else. I can’t remember when I was last at the mall, Walmart or any other big box store. No, I don’t drive the Tesla to Goodwill.

 

[SageBrush]

Thanks for all of your sharing. This is one of my biggest reasons for not giving gifts or buying anything new without first checking for 2nd hand alternatives. I’m not poor, and can afford to buy anything I need or want, but I shop at Goodwill and other 2nd hand stores more than anywhere else. I can’t remember when I was last at the mall, Walmart or any other big box store. No, I don’t drive the Tesla to Goodwill.

My wife does the same, as part of her embrace of reuse rather than recycle or throw-away.

 

[mspohr]

Philippine Study Shows Evidence Of "Criminal Intent" By Oil Majors, Says CIEL | CleanTechnica

Based on the evidence, the Commission found that those companies could be found legally and morally liable for human rights violations arising from climate change. It concluded that people who had their human rights impaired by climate change deserve access to legal remedies

The Commission went so far as to find that the companies had engaged in obstruction, deception, or fraud with regard to their activities and the impact of those activities on the Filipino nation and its citizens. It found those actions could establish criminal intent by the companies, which would subject them to criminal sanctions.

 

[mspohr]

Trudeau will fuel the fires of our climate crisis if he approves Canada's mega mine

Trudeau will fuel the fires of our climate crisis if he approves Canada's mega mine | Tzeporah Berman

This week, the Canadian government is in Madrid telling the world that climate action is its No 1 priority. When they get home, Justin Trudeau’s newly re-elected government will decide whether to throw more fuel on the fires of climate change by giving the go-ahead to construction of the largest open-pit oil sands mine in Canadian history.

 

[iPlug]

Greenland ice loss accelerating to high side forecasts:

Cumulative ice losses from Greenland as a whole have been close to the IPCC’s predicted rates for their high-end climate warming scenario, which forecast an additional 50 to 120 millimetres of global sea-level rise by 2100 when compared to their central estimate.​

Mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2018

 

[ladysbff]

Thanks for all of your sharing. This is one of my biggest reasons for not giving gifts or buying anything new without first checking for 2nd hand alternatives. I’m not poor, and can afford to buy anything I need or want, but I shop at Goodwill and other 2nd hand stores more than anywhere else. I can’t remember when I was last at the mall, Walmart or any other big box store. No, I don’t drive the Tesla to Goodwill.

I only have one car so I do drive it to Goodwill and sometimes feel a little funny about it Glad I’m not the only one. Goodwill is my favorite!