Deadline Extended to Report Climate Initiatives

August 12, 2008 – The deadline for insurers to report on the status of their climate change initiatives has been extended to August 29, according to Evan Mills, Ph.D., the author of the annual report.

Mills, a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, says he and his researchers have created a set of web-based forms to make it easier for insurance companies to voluntarily submit information. Last year, the report identified 422 products, services, and other activities from 190 insurers and other entities in 26 countries.

This year, the researchers are collecting information in four broad categories of insurer activity:

1. Corporate climate strategy
2. Investments and asset management
3. Carbon neutrality for insurer's own operations
4. Innovative products, services, other activities

The first three items are each covered in a single page. Those wanting to enter one or more innovative products, services, or other activities (up to 20) will be directed to a separate identically formatted page for each desired entry. All submissions should be supported with some form of documentation (news releases, websites, reports, etc.)

Please include historical activities, even if not ongoing.

Mills notes that insurers can return to this survey and continue or modify prior entries. However, if you modify previously entered data it is important that you notify us so that we capture those updates.

Responses received by August 29, 2008 will be considered for inclusion in the 2008 report (forthcoming in Fall/Winter 2008); responses received after that date will be considered for the following year's report, but may be published online sooner.

More than one individual in a given organization may receive this request for information. One way to minimize your effort and the likelihood of errors is to select one individual to aggregate the input and enter it into the form, rather than having multiple individuals potentially enter redundant (or conflicting) information.

Mills emphasizes that submission of information is not a guaranty of inclusion in the reports, and we may re-categorize responses to better fit the organization of the database. Providing information constitutes permission for us to publish the information. Please do not provide confidential information.

You can access the data-entry forms here.

If anyone has questions about this project or the forms, please contact Mills at emills@lbl.gov.