Is Climate Change Driving Insurance Costs?

Is Climate Change Driving Insurance Costs?

From Sanity Check by Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

March 27, 2026 · 17 min

About this episode

Dr. David Legates examines whether rising insurance costs are truly driven by climate change or if other factors are at play.

Are rising insurance costs really driven by climate change—or is that just the latest political narrative? In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes apart the claim that extreme weather is driving a home insurance crisis. From hurricanes and droughts to wildfires in Maui and Los Angeles, he examines the data—and the stories behind the headlines. The real drivers? Land-use changes, population growth, and poor policy decisions—not a surge in climate disasters. This episode also explores how medi...

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. David Legates

Topics covered

  • climate change
  • insurance costs
  • extreme weather
  • land-use changes
  • population growth
  • policy decisions

Keywords

  • climate change
  • insurance costs
  • extreme weather
  • land-use changes
  • population growth
  • policy decisions

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Maui, Los Angeles

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