States Tell Insurers: Ignore Reality, Believe In Politics!

by John Hinderaker in Climate

The latest in climate irrationality comes from various states that are hectoring insurance companies to prepare for “climate change.” One of them, not surprisingly, is Minnesota:

Minnesota has joined four other states in requiring its insurance companies to discuss how extensively they’ve prepared for climate change.
About 70 companies have until Aug. 31 to respond to an eight-question survey. The questionnaire, developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), focuses on the assessment of risk associated with climate change. However, it also seeks information on whether insurance companies are working to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions, have altered their investment strategies in response to climate change, or have encouraged policyholders to reduce losses caused by “climate change-influenced events.”

What is the connection between insurers and climate change? Tornadoes and hurricanes, of course:

While the other states face risks of coastal storms that Minnesota does not, Rothmann said Minnesota firms are vulnerable to tornadoes, severe storms and river floods, which some climate models suggest are increasing with a warming climate.

Here we see the insanity of global warming hysteria, distilled to its essence: “Some climate models suggest” that tornadoes, hurricanes and floods are increasing, so it must be true! But wait–don’t we actually know whether such severe weather phenomena are increasing? Can’t we just count them? Of course we can, and the reality (as opposed to the model) is that severe weather is not increasing at all. From this post, here are the data for tornadoes in the United States. They are at a historic low:

And here are the data for Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes. Note that the U.S. has now gone for a record number of days without a single landfall of such a storm:

There is a word for those who demand adherence to politically-motivated and government-funded models rather than empirical reality, and it isn’t “pro-science.”

UPDATE: Anthony Watts published this helpful list describing current climate/weather trends in yesterday’s Watts Up With That. How many people who rely on the alarmist media have any knowledge of these facts?

* Coldest summer on record at the North Pole
* Highest August Arctic ice extent since 2006
* Record high August Antarctic ice extent
* No major hurricane strikes for eight years
* Slowest tornado season on record
* No global warming for 17 years
* Second slowest fire season on record
* Four of the five snowiest northern hemisphere winters have occurred since 2008

Follow the link for supporting data.

 

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