The mixed blessing of shifting responsibilities : Challenges for introducing compulsory elemental insurance in Germany

Titelangaben

Plaß, Julia ; Zinn, Jens O.:
The mixed blessing of shifting responsibilities : Challenges for introducing compulsory elemental insurance in Germany.
In: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Bd. 127 (2025) . - 105670.
ISSN 2212-4209
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105670

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Abstract

For a long time, Germany was largely spared from extreme weather events such as flooding. Severe flooding occurred only sporadically and at extended intervals. However, due to climate change, adjustments to more severe and frequent flooding are necessary. This was demonstrated by the Ahr Valley floods in 2021 and the southern German floods in 2024. In response, the introduction of compulsory elemental insurance has been repeatedly discussed to strengthen household resilience. However, the perspective of the (re-)insurance industry on necessary responses to extreme weather events is still underresearched. This study contributes to overcoming this deficit through an interview study with 27 (re-)insurance experts from Germany, exploring their views on the challenges associated with implementing mandatory elemental insurance. According to the experts, three central factors – risk awareness, accessing and understanding data and information, and adaptation measures – shape household resilience and, at the same time, challenge current responsibility distributions. However, shifting responsibility to the insurance industry and households can entail counterproductive effects on household resilience. Instead, more complex approaches involving different stakeholders could be more effective.