The COP25 talks focused mainly on how to mitigate and adapt to an average temperature increase. However, climate change also means that extreme weather events are growing in frequency and intensity. Effective climate change policies should focus not only on adaptation to changing temperatures in the long run, but also on adaptation to the increasing incidence and intensity of weather extremes.
Weather index insurance is a promising adaptation instrument : Losses and payouts are determined using measured variables such as rainfall, and insurance companies don’t have to send claims adjusters out to assess damages. Participating farmers can purchase insurance at relatively low cost that can help them recover from floods and other disasters and lower various forms of risk.
Read the article by Berber Kramer here