Understanding Disaster Insurance

“In a world consumed by rising risks, greater insurance coverage promises speedier and stronger recovery once disaster strikes. Carolyn Kousky’s engaging analysis offers a policy roadmap for why and how harnessing disaster insurance will reduce growing threats. This story-filled volume is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the role of insurance in preparing for the looming threats posed by climate change.”–Alice Hill, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment at the Council on Foreign Relations and author, “The Fight for Climate after Covid-19”“In clear prose reinforced by penetrating logic, Kousky explains why and how insurance works when disasters and mega-disasters strike. She dissects the virtues and shortcomings of existing insurance structures and explains how new arrangements, which call on both public and private capabilities, can be created to temper many of the gravest disasters confronting humanity. A clear and insightful book.”–Richard Zeckhauser, Ramsey Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University

Carolyn Kousky is Executive Director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kousky has written extensively on the economics and policy of natural disasters, disaster insurance market, and climate risk management policies. She is routinely cited in media outlets including NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others. Dr. Kousky is a University Fellow at Resources for the Future and a non-resident scholar at the Insurance Information Institute. She is vice-chair of the California Climate Insurance Working Group. She has a BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University and a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University.