Insurers, Republicans Part Ways Over Global Warming

By | July 19, 2013

  • July 19, 2013 at 1:15 pm
    bob worc says:
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    Republicans are still having a problem with evolution. Their assessment of the current science of climate change lacks any credibility given their support from the fossil fuel industry and their base that considers any science to be a government plot to raise taxes.

  • July 19, 2013 at 1:35 pm
    insurance is fun! says:
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    Wait…I thought insurers were Republicans. What’s wrong with this picture? Oh yeah, science…at least Republican insurers believe in science.

    • July 19, 2013 at 2:18 pm
      Dave says:
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      Insurers are a wide range of people. The CEO of Progressive like his company’s name might indicate is a far left supporter of Obama’s so be careful with your assumptions. Also, just because the mainstream media has bought the line of some scientist on global warming don’t think they are reporting the findings of all scientists. Despite insistance from the left that the debate is over, it is not. Real science (as opposed to the political kind) typicllay has a long and heated debate which still continues outside of the walls of the mainstream media.

      • July 19, 2013 at 2:28 pm
        pmunited says:
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        Some scientist!! I think you mean 98% of all scientists. This is real science – looking at the facts and not some political agenda.

      • July 19, 2013 at 2:33 pm
        Agent says:
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        Do insurers think man is responsible for climate change? Do they think increasing taxes will fix it? Perhaps they should look at erupting volcanos as the main reason for emission of C02. Maybe they think government should reimburse them if they have to pay some claims. Might as well get on the gravy train with the money mill in DC.

        • July 19, 2013 at 6:45 pm
          Jacob says:
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          Volcanos have been erupting for billions of years. For the past couple million years, at least, co2 content never got above 300ppm and now it is nearing 400pm. The only difference is the rise of our Industrialized civilization. It’s simple Physics, use your critical thinking skills and do the math, if you’re capable of such things.

          • July 21, 2013 at 10:47 pm
            Dave says:
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            CO2 Levels have been a lot higher than they are now. A lot higher before man was on the planet. One thing we do know is that the climate of the earth is lot more complicated than anybody understands. Nobody knows for sure what all of the causes and effects of climate change are, just that the climate has changed immensely with or without man over the past 4 billion years and will continue to do so with or without man. Another thing I know, whether we burn coal in the United States, China and India will continue to burn massive amounts of coal and other fossil fuels. And if such actions cause climate change (we don’t know) it won’t matter whether it is burned here or there. The difference being nearly all of the new manufacturing jobs dependent on cheap energy will be over there along with all of the wealth as our country slides into bankruptcy, much like Detroit.

          • July 24, 2013 at 6:16 pm
            just visiting says:
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            Jacob – exactly how do you know volcanos have been erupting for millions of years?

        • July 20, 2013 at 12:01 am
          secretangentman says:
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          Insurers are well aware that they will be paying much more due to “the new weather conditions”. And they know they will paying more in the future if they ensure property that is likely to be destroyed. Basic business.

        • July 21, 2013 at 2:32 am
          Brian Dodge says:
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          Volcanoes emit around 0.3 billion tonnes of CO2 per year. This is about 1% of human CO2 emissions which is around 29 billion tonnes per year. After the 1991 Pinatubo eruption, the rate of CO2 increase slowed – see http://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/esrl-co2/mean:12/from:1980/to:2000 – because the sulfate emissions caused cooling , which increased ocean uptake of human emissions.

          Gravy train? Exxon/Mobil makes more in a few hours than Dr. James Hansen has made in the last 5 years($1.6 million), and he is the highest paid public speaker/climatologist.

          • July 22, 2013 at 10:07 am
            Agent says:
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            The volcano eruption in Iceland a few years back emitted more CO2 in 4 days to offset the conservation efforts of man in 5 years. There are about 200 active volcanos on the planet in various stages of eruption. It is a futile effort to think driving electric cars, using wind mills and solar panels will have any measurable effect on C02. Al Gore should go to Singapore and Beijing and tell them to stop using coal since they are the major emitters of CO2 in the world.

        • July 22, 2013 at 12:45 pm
          Libby says:
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          Agent:

          The fossil fuels emissions numbers are about 100 times bigger than even the maximum estimated volcanic CO2 fluxes. Counter claims that volcanoes, especially submarine volcanoes, produce vastly greater amounts of CO2 than these estimates are not supported by any papers published by the scientists who study the subject.

          This is a very complex subject that even you can not begin to understand. And it is very real.

          • July 22, 2013 at 1:28 pm
            Boonedoggle says:
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            Please don’t try to introduce scientific facts into this political debate!

      • July 23, 2013 at 4:00 pm
        insurance is fun! says:
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        Dave: Faux News would be proud of you. You managed to get most of the liberal “code” words (Progressive, Obama,mainstream media, and far left) into 1 paragraph, but forgot to use the word “liberal.” Points off for that.

        I realize that not all insurance people lean to the right – just the vast majority. I’m sure you got my point.

        But, for years insurers, actuaries, and risk managers (all from a right-leaning industry) have been re-classifying 100 year cats to 10 year cats, etc. They MUST believe in science and the vast majority of scientists even if you must follow the line and can’t.

  • July 19, 2013 at 5:47 pm
    Richard says:
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    One small way would be to require gasoline purveyors to include ethanol at the pumps. I just purchased a vehicle that can run on “flex fuel” also, but I have to drive more than just a few miles to find a gas station that sells it.

    • July 24, 2013 at 2:32 pm
      ExciteBiker says:
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      Richard, ethanol production is dirty, water intensive, and comes at the direct cost of a reduced food supply and higher commodities prices in addition to lost opportunities from our breadbasket growing corn for fuel instead of other important agricultural products. Not to mention ethanol gas just sucks in general. If you don’t have a “Flex fuel” vehicle or a new car it will ruin the engine. And that is at 10% blend.

  • July 19, 2013 at 9:20 pm
    Dog says:
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    Jumping jeezus on a pogo stick. Why does the belligerent ignorance come out in force every time this comes up? Climate change is a true thing. it’s happening now. Insurers recognize this.

  • July 19, 2013 at 9:22 pm
    Dog says:
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    Some of you may want to read this, and many similar stories right here on the Insurance Journal. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/07/18/298931.htm

  • July 19, 2013 at 9:23 pm
    Dog says:
  • July 20, 2013 at 2:19 am
    Steve-O says:
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    @ Dave: Exactly what pmunited said: “SOME SCIENTISTS” The only ones that seem to be denying that global warming is occurring at dramatic levels are those paid by industry to come up with findings that contradict what 98% of climatologists have already concluded through rigorous study with no agenda.

    If you say they are making it up, ask yourself why? They have no stake. They are academics. And as this article points out, insurers are feeling the financial effects already from man-made global warming.

    And tell you what Dave, why don’t you crawl out of your cocoon and go visit the maldives where the water levels keep rising and encroaching rapidly on the island at a rate that will submerge the nation in a decade.

    This is not some left-wing ruse. You think all the crap the human race is spewing into the air just drifts off into space?

    And AGENT: erupting volcanoes? Really? That is a barely making a dent compared to the carbon dioxide mankind is producing. That’s a red herring.

    And what if you are wrong? Your kids and grandchildren will curse people like you.

  • July 22, 2013 at 9:55 am
    Don says:
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    This is an argument over rate increases for property insurance. Lets do not confuse the issue.

    • July 25, 2013 at 5:40 pm
      insurance is fun! says:
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      Of course, every industry wants to make a profit, but if you’re saying that insurers don’t really believe climate has changed – that saying it is just a ploy to increase rates – then I can’t agree with you. Insurers don’t have to embrace liberal doctrine in order to get the correct rate for a risk. They have legitimate methods in place to effect rate change.

      Risk evaluators all agree that weather-related losses are larger and occur more often than ever before. And it’s all based on real science, not liberal doctrine!

  • July 22, 2013 at 10:52 am
    Steve Goddard says:
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    The last two years have had the fewest tornadoes on record in the US.

    It has been eight years since a category 3-5 hurricane hit the US, the longest such period since before the Civil War. Florida has not been hit by a hurricane in eight years, the longest such period on record.

    Forest fires this summer are at historic lows in the US. There are currently no fires burning anywhere in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado or Utah. Possibly unprecedented.

    It is all about the money, not the climate.

    • July 22, 2013 at 11:44 am
      youngin' says:
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      Nice cherry picking of weather events. Meanwhile, two hurricanes hit the northeast in the past two years and two hurricanes hit OHIO in the past five.

    • July 22, 2013 at 12:19 pm
      Nebraskan says:
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      I’m not exactly sure which news you are NOT watching or reading, but please have some respect for the current fires that are indeed burning and the people who have not only been displaced, but perished because of said fires.

      http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/

    • July 22, 2013 at 1:26 pm
      jw says:
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      Weren’t there a couple EF-3 tornados in 2011 (Alabama) and 2012 (Kentucky)?

      • July 22, 2013 at 1:28 pm
        jw says:
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        Crap, I hate it when I misread the comment. I thought the “eight years since a category 3-5” was a tornado reference. Don’t switch subjects around like that on a Monday.

  • July 22, 2013 at 10:57 am
    Chilly says:
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    In a Senate hearing Thursday, environmental scientist Roger Pielke of the University of Colorado said it’s “incorrect” to claim that global warming is spurring more extreme weather disasters.

    http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/18/scientist-tells-senators-global-warming-not-causing-extreme-weather/

    So, what ended the last Ice Age?

  • July 22, 2013 at 11:02 am
    Chilly says:
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    Gravy train? Exxon/Mobil makes more in a few hours than Dr. James Hansen has made in the last 5 years($1.6 million), and he is the highest paid public speaker/climatologist.

    So he only makes $250k a year spreading fertilizer?

    “Dr. Hansen purposely and with malice aforethought manipulates actual temperature observations in order to perpetuate a global warming hoax. If I’m wrong, he can sue me. But he won’t, because he’s a fraud.” http://hennessysview.com/2008/07/23/dr-james-hansen-of-giss-is-a-liar-and-a-fraud/

    Also see http://www.ClimateDepot.com

  • July 22, 2013 at 11:04 am
    Chilly says:
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    “@ Dave: Exactly what pmunited said: “SOME SCIENTISTS” The only ones that seem to be denying that global warming is occurring at dramatic levels are those paid by industry to come up with findings that contradict what 98% of climatologists have already concluded through rigorous study with no agenda.”

    >>>>>>>>.Climategate<<<<<<<<<<<<<
    Anthropogenic Global Warming, history's biggest scam
    http://www.climategate.com/

  • July 22, 2013 at 11:42 am
    Sargeant Major says:
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    I don’t believe that anyone on this blog wants to intentionally pollute America. I also think that America has made tremendous progress over the years to get the environment cleaner than it was.

    So, why are we continually beating ourselves up when the most polluted places on earth are, for the most part, in China, Russia and India. So while we worry, these countries continue to try to kill everyone in the world. I think the Federal Government should put more pressure on those countries that blatantly pollute rather than trying to continue to strangle US business with regulations so we can’t compete. What happens? manufacturing moves to China, we lose jobs. Here is the list of the top 20 worst polluted cities in the world:

    http://list25.com/the-25-most-polluted-places-on-earth/2/

    • July 22, 2013 at 1:56 pm
      youngin' says:
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      Most reasonable conservative comment here so far. Carefully, you are starting to sound like a moderate.

      • July 23, 2013 at 8:35 am
        jw says:
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        That’s what I thought. It’s almost scary to agree with Sargeant Major.

    • July 25, 2013 at 10:11 am
      Agent says:
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      Sargeant, the President should send Al Gore over to China, Russia and India and tell them to clean up their act because they are ruining the planet for the rest of the nations. Maybe he should give them a new Carbon Tax and tell them to pay up.

  • July 22, 2013 at 4:18 pm
    Brokie says:
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    In a few years, when all you righties are sitting on the ocean front beach in Nashville, re-reading The Fountainhead – let’s re-examine the subject of climate change.

  • July 24, 2013 at 4:51 pm
    James says:
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    “As a week-long heatwave pushed Washington’s temperatures today to near a high for the year, Democratic lawmakers said they weren’t sure what kind of evidence would persuade Republicans that global warming is real.

    “I don’t know what it will take to convince you of what is going on outside the window,” California Democrat Barbara Boxer, the chairman of the panel, said.

    Yet when it’s unseasonably cold, we’re reminded that that’s weather and not climate. Funny that, isn’t it. Hot weather for a short spell in 1 area of the globe does not make it global warming. Conversely, scientists may have decided that we need 30 year’s worth of temperature records to define a climate for a particular region, but there is no such thing as a global climate. When it comes to determining global warming, any period which is long enough to exclude identified natural variability factors is sufficient.

    • July 25, 2013 at 4:26 pm
      Libby says:
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      Doesn’t the melting of the polar icecap indicate an issue with warming? Just asking.

    • July 25, 2013 at 5:47 pm
      insurance is fun! says:
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      It isn’t a few extra hot or cold days per year in the United States that make climate change a reality.

      Something seemingly as innocent as a 1 degree average change in the weather over a few years is what scientist look for. Polar caps are melting – not because they have a mind of their own and have decided to melt. IT IS THE RESULT OF A CHANGE IN LONG TERM TEMPERATURE…nothing more, nothing less.

  • July 25, 2013 at 9:11 am
    Chilly says:
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    “Brokie says: In a few years, when all you righties are sitting on the ocean front beach in Nashville, re-reading The Fountainhead – let’s re-examine the subject of climate change.”

    Well, AL Gore just bought ocean front property on the west coast, so apparently he knows something you don’t, and doesn’t believe his own BS.

    What ended the last Ice Age?



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