#41 Climate proofing Canada with Jason Clark

Welcome back to another episode of Emerging Environments. Today we are chatting with Jason Clark, the National Director of Climate Change Advocacy at the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Chair of Climate Proof Canada, a national coalition of insurers, municipalities and not-for-profits that advocates for climate change adaptation measures to protect Canadians and their property from extreme weather, flood and wildfire. The insurance and reinsurance industries have been at the forefront of climate change risk assessment. What happens within the insurance industry has ripple effects throughout the economy - property values of houses that become uninsurable due to climate change-related risks like flood or wildfire plummet. This translates into economic hardship for individual homeowners and also into regional economic impacts due to reduced municipal property tax revenue - revenue that is used to pay for infrastructure and a variety of municipal services.  We spoke with Jason about some of the exciting work he has been doing to ensure that Canadians and the insurance industry are resilient to climate change. We hope you enjoy our conversation!