For 15 years, Iowa researchers and educators have released an annual climate statement outlining how a changing climate is already affecting Iowans and how the state can respond. This year’s statement, endorsed by 179 science faculty at 26 colleges and universities, focuses on a growing financial consequence: rising property and crop insurance costs driven by climate change.
University of Iowa environmental health professor Peter Thorne and Drake University sustainability professor David Courard-Hauri explain what the latest data shows, why insurance premiums are expected to climb and how increasingly volatile weather is reshaping risk across rural and urban Iowa. They also discuss the implications for the state’s agricultural sector, which is already facing mounting challenges from extreme rainfall, flooding and shifting crop conditions.
Later in the hour, business and insurance expert Martin Grace breaks down how insurers calculate climate-related risk, why companies are pulling back coverage in some parts of the country and what Iowa needs to prepare for. Then, Iowa State University economist Chad Hart weighs in on what higher premiums could mean for farmers, markets and long-term stability across the state’s ag economy.
Guests:
- Peter Thorne, professor of occupational and environmental health, University of Iowa
- David Courard-Hauri, professor of environmental science and sustainability, Drake University
- Martin Grace, professor and Clement T. and Sylvia H. Hanson Family Chair, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa
- Chad Hart, professor of economics, crop markets specialist and extension specialist, Iowa State University
