(Radio Iowa) – Natural disasters in Iowa that cause millions and even billions of dollars damage are becoming more frequent, which some experts blame on our changing climate. The 15th annual Iowa Climate Statement was released today (Monday), endorsed by 177 Iowa science faculty at 24 colleges and universities statewide. Dave Courard-Hauri, a professor of environmental science and sustainability at Drake University, says the cost of disasters like droughts and floods don’t impact just those who file insurance claims.

2024 flooding in Spencer. (Iowa DOT photo)

“With climate change increasing risks from extreme events, that cost will increase for all of us,” Courard-Hauri says. “Given that homeowners insurance is required to obtain a mortgage, as insurance costs become prohibitive, or as companies choose not to insure in areas of high risk, the entire housing market can experience ripple effects.” While farmers are especially vulnerable to natural disasters and their associated costs, the report says the American dream of homeownership may become unattainable for some Iowa families as climate change accelerates the rise in insurance premiums.

Bill Gutowski, professor emeritus of meteorology at Iowa State University, says temperatures are rising globally due to an increase in greenhouse gases which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. “These higher temperatures allow more moisture in the atmosphere, which yields a tendency for more precipitation when storms do occur, and that leads to more flooding,” Gutowski says. “When that water condenses, it adds energy in the form of heat to those storms, which can make them stronger, especially the severe weather storms we experience in late spring to early summer.”

When adjusted for inflation, the report says billion-dollar disasters in the region encompassing Iowa have more than doubled over the past 40 years. Peter Thorne, a professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa, says these Midwest events are part of an emerging global trend of shattered long-term climate records, with growing losses of life and property, resulting in higher insurance costs.

“Rising insurance premiums in Iowa are driven by increased costs of labor, building materials and reinsurance,” Thorne says, “and the reinsurance industry is that which ensures the insurers. They tie their rates to national and international risks that are being driven by climate change. So these costs all are amplified by climate change and are escalating.” Property owners in Iowa can make moves to try and reduce their own carbon footprints and to reduce their insurance costs.

Emma Stapleton, a research professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, says for example, trees can be planted as natural wind buffers, and there are all sorts of “smart” building materials for construction. “There are some benefits to consumers for energy efficient upgrades, like better insulation, things like reducing the risk of fire with building materials,” Stapleton says. “Some policies do give you green update coverages where you can rebuild or replace the damaged parts of your house with environmentally friendly materials.”

The report says some insurance companies have pulled out of Iowa and elsewhere after recent disasters, like the 2020 derecho. Gutowski says every one of the Earth’s ten hottest years on record has occurred in the last decade, with 2024 breaking all previous records. He says those temperature changes lead to the types of extreme events and damages that we have seen more of in recent years.