The Epicenter editors recently interviewed Daniel Zarrilli, former Chief Resilience Officer for New York City and current Chief Climate & Sustainability Officer at Columbia University, about his work during the post-Hurricane Sandy recovery effort.
Each time the federal government closes, it reinforces a simple truth: the center can no longer hold. The work of building resilient infrastructure and communities must now happen locally.
In a world of more frequent climate stressors and disasters, parametric insurance is a fast, nimble way to compensate communities for losses. Its growing popularity in the disaster space (from earthquakes to hurricanes) makes it a necessary tool to help communities bounce back.
When disaster strikes, the question is not whether we will rebuild, but how. The problem is that it costs more to rebuild a home to disaster-resilient standards. We need new flexible and dedicated financing products that make it easier for homeowners to make critical resilience investments.
Investors can reduce the costs and dangers of extreme heat by: Fortifying the electrical grid and built environment; Advancing alternative cooling innovations; Developing public-private partnerships in cooling infrastructure; Investing in blended finance tools; Scaling insurance innovations.
Of all the natural disasters that hit the U.S. each year, extreme heat waves are by far the deadliest. Extreme heat also slows workers down and reduces agricultural productivity.
