Insure Our Future
Insure Our Future is a global campaign of NGOs and social movements that hold the insurance industry accountable for its role in the climate crisis. It calls on insurance companies to immediately stop insuring new fossil fuels and phase out support for existing coal, oil and gas projects.
Insure our Future’s annual Scorecard on Insurance, Fossil Fuels and the Climate Emergency assesses 30 insurers and reinsurers on their coal, oil and gas policies. The report highlights progress and loopholes, calls out leaders and laggards, and identifies challenges and opportunities for the year ahead.
Results and impact:
Media articles
39Secured across 3 agencies, over 10 countries, and insurance specialist media outlets
Estimated views
639thousand
Engagements
351on social media
Years
7supporting and building this movement, bringing insurers to act on climate
Holding insurers to account on fossil fuels
Challenge: coal, oil and gas projects cannot continue to operate without insurers
As society’s risk managers, insurers hold the power to reshape the global economy to meet the Paris climate targets. Without their support, coal, oil and gas projects cannot continue to operate. Insure Our Future is a global campaign of NGOs and social movements which holds the industry accountable for its role in the climate crisis and calls on it to phase out support for fossil fuels in line with a 1.5°C pathway.
Solution: alerting the media when insurers adopted new climate policies
Greenhouse has supported Insure Our Future since it formed in 2017 and began putting pressure on the industry. We made sure we were first to alert media when insurers adopted new climate policies and provide expert analysis. Additionally, we’ve written and published seven annual Scorecard reports, evaluating the industry’s climate response and spotlighting both leaders and laggards.
We’ve also released reports uncovering insurers’ backing of prominent fossil fuel endeavors like the Carmichael coalmine in Australia.
Results: worldwide coverage from top tier media
We built the Insure Our Future brand and established it as a credible campaign with the inside track on the industry and the go-to organisation for expert comment on insurance and climate change.
The Scorecard reports have received coverage worldwide from top tier media such as Reuters, Bloomberg and AFP as well as specialist insurance industry media. We have successfully focussed the attention of national news media on the performance of insurers in their countries.
Impact: more companies with restricted cover
The campaign has had a meaningful impact on fossil fuel development. In 2017, just three insurers had taken action on coal; now companies with a 41% share of the primary market and 63% of the reinsurance market have restricted cover. Coal companies are finding it ever harder to get insurance for new projects and, increasingly, for existing operations. The campaign is now successfully driving insurers to take action on oil and gas, too: companies with a 20% share of the primary market and 63% of the reinsurance market have restricted cover.
What we did
2023 Scorecard: 50 years of climate failure
Greenhouse Communications supported the 2023 Scorecard by writing editing the report. We also wrote a compelling press release to launch the report to the media.
Media coverage:
Top stories included:
• The Guardian: Insurers at Lloyd’s are the world’s leading underwriters of fossil fuel projects. They continue to support projects incompatible with the Paris climate target, despite warnings about the climate crisis. Last year, they earned billions from insuring coal, oil, or gas projects.
• Reuters: Climate activists find insurers’ commitments to divest from fossil fuels inconsistent. Some, like Axa and Zurich, have halted coal investments, while others lack clear policies. Lloyd’s insurers alone accounted for billions in fossil fuel premiums in 2022.
• Bloomberg: Insurers continue to cover rising oil and gas production despite climate-related losses. While coal restrictions are increasing, 80% of insurers lack policies for oil and gas. Regulators in the US and EU demand transparency and transition plans.
What our clients say:
“Greenhouse helped us to drive greater collaboration by demonstrating the risks to insurers of backing coal. Their input on planning, content and execution was invaluable, and the impact we have collectively achieved has resulted in major insurers committing to exclude coal in the future.”
