Your Insurance Premium May Be Affected By Global Warming

The last decade or so have not been a particularly good one for the UK insurance industry. It seems that at least once a year the UK insurance industry gets to feel the bit of a natural disaster somewhere in the world.

In more case than not, environmentalist will then go on record as saying the natural disaster was avoidable, but for the fact that we are subject to ongoing global warming, which we should only expect to get worse. And, the simple fact is that this trend of global climate change may severely affect your insurance premium.

For the 5 year period from 1998 to 2003 (the last on public record), weather-related insurance claims in the UK amounted to ?6 billion. This figure is almost double that paid out during the 5 period immediately prior to this. In this regard, it doesn't take long to realise that UK insurance companies set their premiums based on what they calculate the chances are of them having to pay-out under the insurance policy are.

So, if the chances of having to pay out on an insurance policy for weather-related damages have risen twice in the last 5 years, then it wouldn?t be unfair to assume that weather-related claims could double again in the next 5 years. On this basis, the amount of premium you paid 5 years ago will have quadrupled in 5 years time! However, with industry experts suggesting that future weather related insurance claims could leave many UK insurance companies in financial difficulties, you may well find that loss adjustors determine that the risk has increased significantly more than this, and set a premium suitably high to reflect this point.

Unfortunately, the only way that you can reduce your insurance premiums is to give the UK insurance company reason enough for them to believe that it is unlikely (or less likely) that you?ll make a claim against the insurance company. Nonetheless, when it comes to house insurance, you can hardly reduce the chance that a natural disaster won?t happen ? because that?s out of your hands. As such, as the policyholder you need to consider alternative ways if you want to make sure that your insurance premiums do not rise dramatically.

The only real alternative that is left to policyholders is to increase the minimum payout claim threshold. By the minimum payment payout threshold, what is meant is that you agree not to claim on the insurance unless a minimum amount of damage has been done to your property by the weather. By increasing this sum, you may be able to hold-off on the prospect of having dramatic increases in your annual home insurance policy.

The only other alternative left open to you is to picket you government and ask them to take the issue of global warming seriously. If that were to happen, and there was to be less chance of the natural disaster happening, then this would reduce the level of risk of the insurance company having to pay-out under the policy and this reduction of risk should be reflected in a reduction in your insurance premiums.

Joseph Kenny writes for the Personal Loans Store, where you can compare loans and read the article on Payment Protection Insurance: The True Cost.

Global Warming And What You Can Do

Global warming is a problem faced by our entire society . Regardless of race, ethnicity, homeland, gender, and age, we are all responsible for helping our planet through this tough time. Soon, global warming will reach a tipping point in which there will be nothing that we can do to stop its harmful effects. By doing your part as a concerned citizen, there are some simple changes that you can make to help decrease the damage that you are doing to the planet's climate. Many things that you do in your every day life contribute to global warming, from making your morning commute to simply turning on a light switch. As a country, America produces the most greenhouse gases per year on the planet. It has been shown that the average American contributes 6.6 tons of greenhouse gas per year. These emissions have only increased since the early nineties, and we need to act now to help save our planet?

What can you do to help decrease your greenhouse emissions? By simply changing a few things in your lifestyle, you can help to decrease your greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 12,280 pounds per year. Following are some tips to helping the planet:

When buying electronic equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR label. These devices limit the use of power, thereby allowing you to cut consumption at least a little bit. Computers, fax machines, copy machines, and various other pieces of home office equipment can be found that are ENERGY STAR compliant.

Insulating your home can both reduce your energy bill and help the planet by using less power.

Fluorescent lights or ENERGY STAR lights can be purchased to bring down your electricity need.

Use low flow faucets in both your shower and your sink. If you can't purchase a new toilet, placing a brick in the back of your toilet tank can cut down on the amount of water used in your toilet, saving water.

When relocating, try to find a job close to your home. The very act of commuting is one of the biggest problems with global warming that we face, with suburban employees making hour-long commutes, draining our planet's oil supply and increasing greenhouse emissions. By carpooling 2 days a week, you can cut your greenhouse emissions by 1,590 pounds per year!

When purchasing a new vehicle, look for one with a high miles-per-gallon rating. Hybrids are ideal, but any car that consumes less gas is recommended.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Weather, Science, and Gemstones

Understanding Emissions Trading And Global Warming

It goes without saying that there is often an inherent conflict between science and economies. Emission trading is an interesting effort in the global warming arena.

It is a mild understatement to say that global warming is both a controversial and misunderstood field. As the decay of the ice packs and slowing of the ocean conveyer become more apparent, the controversy is starting to evolve into an acceptance of global warming as a fact. Given this great acceptance, the question is now what to do about it.

Every society is based upon some form of economy. Although globalization is the much touted economic subject of the day, the industrial revolution is still really the heart of most economies. Economies, particularly first world economies, are based on the production of goods and materials through manufacturing. These same processes contribute heavily to greenhouse gases and the global warming debate. With such an inherent conflict between production and reduction of pollutants, find a solution to greenhouse gases has often been a dubious prospect. The concept of emissions trading, however, may be a solution.

Emission caps are a method for dealing with economies on a nationwide scale. Essentially, countries agree to cap their total output of pollutants and greenhouse gases at a certain level. Each government then converts this total amount into individual caps for industries or business. The caps essentially tell the businesses the amount they are allowed to emit and assign penalties and incentives for coming in below or above said amounts. In practical terms, a business is penalized for polluting or given a benefit for cutting pollutants.

The interesting thing about emissions caps is that they can be traded. Ostensibly, a country or business that falls under the cap amounts can trade their excess emissions allotment for money. In turn, other parties that fail to meet their caps must buy these allotments. By taking this approach, reduction of pollutants become not only a moral choice, but a potential profit center. For example, Brazil has done an amazing job of converting automobiles to ethanol. It has now evolved from an oil importer to an exporter and is selling emission credits on the open market.

Emission trading systems do not represent a new approach to dealing with the pollution problem. On smaller scales, such approaches have been used within the United States as part of the Clean Air Act to force municipalities and states to act. With the implementation of the Kyoto Treaty, this process will become full blown on the international scene. Alas, India, China and the United States are not signatories to the Treaty, which is unfortunate given their economic growth and production of greenhouse gases and pollutants.
Rick Chapo is with http://www.solarcompanies.com - a directory of solar energy companies.

Global warming. Should we heed the harbingers of doom?

Copyright 2006 Dr Phil Hariram

Experts tell us we are releasing unacceptable levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If we continue at this rate, by 2070, the polar ice caps will completely melt causing sea levels to rise and all those idyllic islands and a large amount of the continents will be under water. The rainforests will wither away from drought or fires and destructive waves, floods and droughts will be commonplace.

Al Gore thinks that if change is not in place within the next 10 years, then it becomes irreversible.

We need the harbingers of doom. They stop us from destroying this planet. They are responsible for the improvement of the ozone layer. They warned us of the dangers of ozone layer depletion and unless immediate action was taken, then by 2050 the effects would be devastating to our health.

This led directly to the Montreal Protocol banning the use of CFCs in fridges and air conditioning. We still have fridges and air conditioning but without CFCs. Technology got us into that mess and technology got us out.

Experts warned us about acid rain and claimed it was a serious threat to life on earth. It was a bit exaggerated but it hastened the development of new technologies that reduced the release of nitrates and sulphates into the atmosphere.

The primary cause of global warming is our use of fossil fuel. By burning fossil fuel, we are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The balance in the past was maintained by photosynthesis by plants and phytoplankton. They contain chlorophyll and in the present of sunlight convert carbon dioxide into glucose and releasing oxygen.

Today the level of carbon dioxide released is unacceptably high and in addition we are cutting down rainforests. This results in an imbalance.

In 1997, 38 developed countries laid down a framework to prevent global warming. They requested that by 2012 there must be a reduction of antropogenic carbon dioxide emission by 5% below 1990 level. This is part of the Kyoto Protocol. Sadly the US President in March 2001 renounced the protocol.

US have 25% of the world population but experts say it is responsible for 75% of greenhouse gas emission. While other countries are reducing emission, US emission, according to experts, continue to rise and is currently 15% greater than 1990 level.

Experts tell us we must act now. We must reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we release. To do this we must use alternative sources of energy, make better use of fossil fuel, plant more trees and protect the seas from pollution so that phytoplankton population remain high.

At present there is no obvious viable alternative. Nuclear power has safety problems but there are encouraging research on solar and hydrogen power. Photovoltaic, wind power and power from biomass are slowly being introduced but this process takes time.

Al Gore claims that he is carbon neutral. To achieve this cost money. Not every one can afford this. It takes up to 10 years to recover cost to convert to alternative source of energy. It is therefore important for everyone to make optimum use of energy.

Global warming, unlike other problems, cannot be solved by governments and industries alone. Homeowners have to do their bit. Legislation on emission has made a difference to cars and trucks on the road but there is inadequate control on older vehicles. Home owners must insulate their homes and ensure their Central Heating boilers are efficient. To ensure this is happening, there may well have to be legislation to annually check emission levels from individual homes.

So should we heed the harbingers of doom? According to experts, the Arctic is melting and has already lost an area the size of Texas, that is, 4 times the size of UK. Rising sea level is already causing displacement. The island of Tuvalu in the Pacific will soon be evacuated. Laupepa, a Tuvaluan government official, told a BBC reporter that by refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the US has effectively denied future generations of Tuvaluans their fundamental freedom to live where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.

Brazil?s cascading Iguazu falls this year is just a trickle. Britain is experiencing the driest spell this century, and has widespread hose pipe bans.

With global warming and rising sea level, US and European citizens may lose prime beachfront properties but low lying islands will lose nationalities as their citizens are displaced. Do they see the developed countries as nations totally indifferent to their plight?

Dr. Phil Hariram is an Ecoflow Distributor. Ecoflow is an innovative award winning UK company that produces quality magnets for saving energy, health and pets. Dr. Phil uses magnets on his Central Heating Boilers to save energy and his monthly direct debit has been cut by half. Learn more at http://www.saveenergywithmagnets.com