Paying for a Riskier Future

Who pays for the disaster that didn't happen? Co-hosts Nuin-Tara Key (CA FWD) and Carolyn Kousky (Insurance for Good) dig into the economics of climate resilience—what adaptation finance actually is, and why it's so hard to get capital flowing toward it.Drawing on interviews with five members of the CA FWD–Insurance for Good adaptation finance workgroup, the episode moves through four big questions: how adaptation finance differs from mitigation finance; the biggest barriers to scaling resilience investment—from our reliance on one-off grants to the difficulty of funding prevention; the audacious ideas that could break the logjam (rewiring the "operating system" of finance, equipping local officials to make risk-informed decisions, and financing resilience the way we finance roads and water systems); and the conversations we're still not having—starting with the fact that we already pay for climate risk, just reactively, after disaster strikes.Plus: a "By the Numbers" trivia segment on California's 2021–2022 drought, and the first report from the CA FWD × Insurance for Good partnership, Paying for Preparedness: Why California Needs Sustained Investment in Climate Resilience: LINKClimate Finance AnthemsWe asked our hosts and workgroup members to pick a song that captures the urgency, frustration, and hope of this work:Birdsong at the Helsinki airport — not a song, but a recurring theme (host pick)"Respect" — Aretha Franklin"Where Were You Hiding (When the Storm Broke)?" — The Alarm — Francis: "where has the insurance industry been hiding?""Burning Down the House" — Talking Heads — "the song is actually about liberation — about being trapped in a house that's burning"A moment of silence (one guest's meditative alternative)“You and Me on the Rock (feat. Lucius),” Brandi Carlile"When the Levee Breaks" — Led Zeppelin — "I've used that as walk-up music""Don't Stop Believin'" — Journey — "a song of optimism — and it's got a damn good beat"