What do we actually know about climate change and what we can do? What factors influence climate change? The Allianz Foundation for Sustainability has joined the debate with a comprehensive brochure on the fundamentals of climate change and projections.

The number of natural catastrophes has risen steadily since the 1970s, and this Allianz report calls for new approaches to risk diversification in the insurance industry as the best way of preparing for more climate change-related damages.

Dresdner Kleinwort has long been active in research on energy and the environment. This series of reports considers various issues, including the future of coal as a fuel for electricity generation, and a new look at emissions trading.

This briefing, launched with support from the Allianz Group, focuses on the contribution of the financial sector to the fight against global warming. Its key message is to urge policy makers to adopt reduction targets beyond 2012 and use this as a clear mandate for action. The report also stresses that international agreements on climate change are crucial to business. They allow them to plan ahead, integrate climate change-related risks into their core operations, and make sure they aren’t put at a competitive disadvantage. 

A groundbreaking survey of US investors released by Allianz Global Investors in 2008 showed that the environment is viewed as a major long-term investment opportunity. Nearly half of the 1,003 investors surveyed said that over the next 12 months they were likely to invest in a company or mutual fund looking to provide solutions for environmental problems.

Allianz Group and WWF produced this ground-breaking report in 2005. It looks at the financial industry’s need for a systematic way to evaluate climate change risks and outlines specific steps to better integrate climate change risks into the insurance, banking and asset management businesses.

Published in collaboration with WWF in October 2006, the report claims that climate change poses serious risks to insurers and their customers in the USA. Insurers can do more to address risks and ensure affordable coverage for consumers. It was the first time that a major insurance company has publicly released a study of this kind in the USA. The report examines the latest scientific findings about climate change, specifically on forest fires, storms and floods, and the potential impact on the insurance industry and its customers.

First published by Dresdner Kleinwort and WWF in March 2007, this report concludes that the Kyoto protocol could help Russia move forward in coming to grips with climate change. It calls for a long-term energy strategy and a faster Kyoto process in Russia.

This report was published by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), chaired by Allianz and Dresdner Bank. In this study, published in November 2006, Allianz and the UN assess the economic impact of climate change. Governments and businesses must start adapting to the impacts of climate change, encourage sustainable development and improve their disaster management strategies.