Travel

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2023 was the worst year for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the US since record keeping began in 1980.⁶

The increase in extreme weather events is having an obvious impact on travel. Over the past few years, we have seen wildfires and floods inflict misery on popular travel destinations, their infrastructure, and unsuspecting tourists. The increase in severe weather events increases travel cancellations, medical costs while traveling in an affected area, and even evacuations.

Across Greece, devastating wildfires in July 2023 caused not only the evacuation of more than 20,000 tourists⁷, but mass cancellations of flights into the island of Rhodes ⁸.

Tragic wildfires that broke out in West Maui, Hawaii, in August 2023, saw 46,000⁹ people flying out of Kahului Airport in the space of a few days. In addition to needing treatment for fire-related medical issues, the fires also destroyed people’s prescriptions, leaving them without their essential medications.¹⁰

First responders

Due to the nature of their work, first responders consistently deal with the fallout from natural disasters. However, the increase in major climate events like hurricanes and wildfires, as well as hotter summer temperatures more generally, has marked a step change in their workload including longer shifts in more dangerous situations.

A November 2020 study by the National Library of Medicine found that “overall, there is an increased demand in urban fire and police services as daily maximum temperatures rise from ~80°F to over 100°F across the US”. It also cited research into the impacts of heat on emergency medical services and ambulance calls noting an increase in “violent, aggressive and impulsive behaviors and crime, fatal traffic accidents, cognitive function, sleep, and a myriad of health outcomes” and increasing the types of emergency situations that require police or fire department response¹².

Student athletes

We’ve already seen the tragic impact of heat stroke on student-athletes and extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States.¹³ According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury research, heat stroke is the third most common cause of sudden death among high school athletes behind cardiac arrest and traumatic brain injuries.¹⁴ In a period of rapid climate change, practical measures must be taken to reduce the likelihood of heat-related tragedies among student-athletes.

The supplemental health market

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, climate change can impact the seriousness or frequency of people’s health problems and can present new or unanticipated health problems in people or places where they had not been before¹⁵.

For example, droughts create dust, which can lead to respiratory illness,¹⁶ while storms and floods can cause infections from contaminated water¹⁷. Health services disrupted by catastrophic events are a risk especially for people who need regular medical care such as those with chronic illnesses and pregnant women. Exposure to extreme or prolonged heat can cause exhaustion, heat stroke, kidney and heart disease and pregnancy complications.¹³

As climate-sensitive health risks become more prevalent, and new health risks to individuals caused by climate change arise, health insurance policies may have to start accommodating for these changing health risk patterns, as there is the potential that we will see revisions to traditional policies.