Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Are the Floodgates Opening for Climate Change Lawsuits by Insurance Companies?

To avoid paying out big bucks for massive flooding last month, a major insurance has launched a lawsuit against 200 communities in the Chicago area. The suit alleges that those in charge of these burgs failed to plan for catastrophic events attributable to man-caused climate change, of which the floods are a prime example. Of course, that flies in the face of what one might call an inconvenient truth, to wit:
There has been no significant trend in annual temperatures for the Chicago area since 1970, or since the start of the period the recent National Climate Assessment tells us we should be seeing the most prominent anthropogenic climate change impacts. No trend since 1990, either.
There is most certainly no trend in annual precipitation for the Chicago area since 1970 (or 1990).
Maybe so, but how can such a minor technicality (as insurance company lawyers will no doubt portray it) measure up to the overwhelming consensus of climate change scientists?

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