Beyond broken infrastructure – Swiss Re explores cascading effects of natural disasters and other key emerging risks
Source: EQS
Weather-related natural catastrophes are increasing in frequency and severity. While floods, wildfires and storms can lead to property damage and loss of life, the cascading effects of such events pose additional risks. Wildfires can impact the water infrastructure by contaminating water sources or cutting access to it. Floods and storms can likewise damage energy grids and disrupt transport networks, bringing production lines to a standstill due to lack of power, leading to lost production time, materials spoilage and delays to deliveries. If critical infrastructure and supply chains are affected, the accumulation of damage can be significant. While the security of supply chains was a priority for companies following the large-scale disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus has shifted back to immediate cost savings. The cost pressure has grown, but so too have the risks to supply chains – as exemplified by the Climate change and supply chain issues also affect the healthcare infrastructure, exacerbated by consistent underfunding of healthcare systems. Essential services such as water, sanitation and electricity supplies may be compromised under more extreme climate scenarios that cause a higher risk of frequent flooding and other disruptive events. Weakened health services increase risks for societies, with delayed or inadequate care contributing to higher morbidity and mortality, and thus also impact economies through increased health-related absenteeism and understaffing. Underfunding of healthcare systems and the impacts thereof are a concern across low-, middle- and high-income countries.
How to order this SONAR report: The English version of the 2024 SONAR report is available here. Swiss Re SONAR 2024: New emerging risk insights – Disclaimer Although all the information discussed herein was taken from reliable sources, About
End of Media Release |
Language: | English |
Company: | |
Mythenquai 50/60 | |
8022 |
|
Phone: | +41 (0) 43 285 71 71 |
E-mail: | Media_Relations@swissre.com |
Internet: | www.swissre.com |
ISIN: | CH0126881561 |
Valor: | 12688156 |
Listed: | |
EQS News ID: | 1923605 |
End of News |
|
1923605 12.06.2024 CET/CEST