{"id":47686,"date":"2026-07-02T23:33:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/47686\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T23:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:33:11","slug":"climate-change-keeps-adding-to-list-of-uninsurable-assets-allianz-executive-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/47686\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Keeps Adding to List of Uninsurable Assets, Allianz Executive Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extreme weather events \u2014 such as the heat wave gripping Europe<\/a> \u2014 are making a growing number of assets too risky to insure, according to a director at Europe\u2019s largest primary insurer.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertain locations and perils cannot be covered as we would wish them to be covered,\u201d G\u00fcnther Thallinger, who sits on the management board of Allianz SE, said in an interview. \u201cWe cannot help it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heat, floods, storms and wildfires \u201ccould become so frequent that they challenge traditional insurance models,\u201d he said. \u201cRisk-adequate pricing would not be affordable any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: London Faces Huge Financial Cost Because of Extreme Heat<\/a><\/p>\n

The warning comes as millions of Europeans endure some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in the region, with scientists identifying man-made climate change as the culprit. Researchers at World Weather Attribution<\/a> estimate that June temperatures were between 5C and 12C above seasonal averages across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and southern England, as Europe heats up faster than other continents.<\/p>\n

Insurers, bankers and financial analysts are now trying to calculate the short-to-medium-term costs of continual temperature rises. Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING Group NV, said in a client note this week that heat waves represent a \u201cnew downside risk\u201d to the region\u2019s economic growth.<\/p>\n

The analysis feeds into a growing awareness across Europe that homes, schools, hospitals, transport networks and other forms of infrastructure will need significant investments in order to adapt to the rapidly changing climate. Brzeski says Europe faces an accumulated economic loss equivalent to 0.8% by 2029, as tourists stay away, people become less productive and supply chains get disrupted.<\/p>\n

Insurance is the corner of finance that\u2019s responding fastest to such risks, according to Sarah Kapnick, JPMorgan Chase & Co.\u2019s global head of climate advisory.<\/p>\n

Wherever assets are exposed, prices on insurance coverage \u201care going up,\u201d she said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in London. And \u201cthe stresses that we see today are only going to get worse because heat waves like this ten years from now will be over 40C and it will keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Homes, schools, hospitals, and transport networks across Europe will need significant investments in order to adapt to the rapidly changing climate; photo credit: Krisztian Bocsi\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n

There are early indications that banks are starting to follow insurers in differentiating between clients based on their climate risk.<\/p>\n

In Spain, where the temperature just hit a June record<\/a> of 43C (109F), BBVA SA is now adjusting loan prices for corporate customers based on their exposure to global warming, Elvira Calvo, the bank\u2019s head of sustainability business transformation, said in an interview. Sectors being targeted are agriculture, real estate and leisure, as well as utilities and infrastructure, she said. Retail clients are next, Calvo added.<\/p>\n

Thallinger, who warned last year<\/a> that the pace of global warming is making entire regions uninsurable, said Allianz is now trying to help customers figure out how to adapt so they don\u2019t lose access to coverage. He declined to say which sectors are most at risk, noting that it\u2019s more a question of individual risk and clients\u2019 attitude to addressing these.<\/p>\n

The Allianz executive said he was surprised his earlier comments \u201ctriggered a lot of people\u201d as he was simply referring to well-established climate science. The world is currently on course for 2.8C of warming<\/a>, a level that implies increasingly extreme weather shocks, rising sea levels and ravaged ecosystems.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just companies\u2019 vulnerability to physical climate risks that\u2019s important for their lenders and insurers; their contribution to emissions reductions can also create a competitive advantage, Thallinger said. Automakers and hyperscalers that embrace the transition, for example, will find that \u201cclimate action starts to become a defining element of competitiveness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thallinger still champions the concept of net zero emissions, which has been vilified in the US and overshadowed by energy security concerns in Europe. While the political motivations surrounding the transition may be complex, Thallinger says failing to address emissions comes with obvious consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s totally clear without net zero, it doesn\u2019t work,\u201d he said. And without it, adaption becomes \u201copen-ended.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top photograph: A tour bus employee shelters from the sun under an umbrella on Westminster Bridge during a heat wave in London, UK, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026; photo credit: Chris J. Ratcliffe\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.<\/p>\n

\n Topics
\n Climate Change<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Interested in Climate Change?<\/p>\n

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