The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle a major scientific research center could cause property insurance prices to increase across the country, according to an industry group representing actuaries.
The warning adds a new dimension to the potential breakup of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, whose climate data is used by the insurance industry to help predict financial losses and set rates.
“We’re incredibly reliant on curated and unbiased data sets available to the public,” said Peter Ott, who leads a research committee at the American Academy of Actuaries. The academy said in a recent letter that disrupting the center would “undermine the stability and affordability of insurance.”
The White House budget office stunned the scientific world when it announced in December that it would break up the federally funded center, which budget director Russell Vought called “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism.” The move is among an array of steps taken by the Trump administration to dismantle programs aimed at addressing climate change.
