Scientific climate models clearly show that urgent action is needed. This is confirmed by Dr. Doris Höpke, Munich Re, Dr. Kurt Weinberger, Hagelversicherung and Univ.Prof. Dr. Helga Kromp-Kolb, climate researcher.

Dr. Kurt Weinberger, Chairman of the Board of the Austrian Hail Insurance (Österreichische Hagelversicherung)

"Climate change, that is to say global warming, has long since arrived in Austria too. Two figures to illustrate this: while in the 70s and 80s we still had around 10 hot days — days with temperatures above 30 °C — we now have nearly 30 hot days, which is three times as many. Global warming is also noticeable in the increasing extreme weather events that directly affect agriculture, with its workshop out in the open air. In this year alone, 220 million euros in damages, and over the last five years, one billion euros in total damage to agriculture! That's the scale we're talking about.

In Austria, however, we have — by international comparison — a broad public-private partnership system with the most comprehensive range of products and the most modern damage assessment in Europe. This collaboration between the public sector, the insurance industry, and agriculture has so far kept the growing weather-related risk calculable. It is also based on a broad network of reinsurance, in order to make fluctuating, large-scale loss events insurable. Science is also indispensable, providing the foundations for actuarial calculations through its climate projections."

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