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SUSTAINABILITY HUB
Risk awareness & prevention

Industry
initiatives:

Risk awareness

Floods

Prevention is at the heart of improving climate change adaptation and resilience. “We need to prevent the un-adaptable and adapt to the un-preventable”, as the European Commission said in its 2021 EU Climate Adaptation Strategy.

European insurers are committed to supporting efforts to tackle the climate protection gap by contributing to boosting prevention, based on their long-standing expertise in this area. Prevention is embedded in the practices of the private insurance sector and is a cornerstone of any insurance scheme. It is especially important for extreme weather events which, without any prevention measures in place, would be very difficult to insure.

Prevention is not possible without risk awareness. The insurance industry plays an important role in raising risk awareness, based on the expertise it has gained through extensive research and long experience. Insurers also contribute to awareness-raising through the conditions they include in their policies (see the Underwriting section). Requiring individuals and companies to finance solutions themselves makes them more aware of the risks and financial consequences they face. This encourages them to further limit their exposure by taking more preventive measures and helps mitigate the human, economic and financial costs resulting from climate-related disasters.

Increased risk awareness paves the way for effective prevention measures and risk-averse policies, such as building codes that prevent construction in high-risk zones, for instance flood plains. Such measures by public authorities are vital if insurers are to continue to be able to provide affordable cover for climate-related risks. Insurers across Europe are therefore keen to continue working in collaboration with public authorities and other stakeholders on loss prevention and awareness-raising (see the Public-private partnership section).

Click on the examples below for more information:

Awareness-raising campaigns

Examples

Education

Examples

Tools & solutions for consumers

Examples

Awareness-raising campaigns

Education

Tools & solutions for consumers

Examples

Examples

Examples

Tools & solutions for insurers

Examples

Forecasting & early warnings

Examples

Tools & solutions for insurers

Forecasting & early warnings

Examples

Examples

Floods

Insurers usually provide compensation for flood losses. They also use their considerable flood-risk expertise to play a role beyond this risk transfer; they are often active in raising risk awareness and in increasing the understanding of flood risks and how to reduce them, both among policymakers and the general public.

Click on the examples below for more information.

Examples

  • Insurers across Europe are involved in a broad range of awareness-raising campaigns. For instance, in Germany, risk-awareness campaigns are implemented jointly by state authorities, consumer protection organisations, the insurance industry, architects and other stakeholders. Their collaboration is built around a common goal: to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and natural hazards, of the benefits of loss prevention, and of best practices as regards natural catastrophe-resilient buildings. The high level of risk awareness in Germany is one of the reasons for the relatively low protection gap; indeed, the insurance penetration rate for natural perils such as storm or hail is more than 90%.

  • Most European insurance associations have initiatives to raise risk awareness, such as dedicated workshops, events and educational seminars, as well as frequent in-depth articles, themed newsletters, presentations and other publications.

  • Many French insurers have launched prevention campaigns and also support the campaigns of “Assurance Prévention”, an association founded by the French insurance association (France Assureurs). Assurance Prévention has produced numerous leaflets, infographics, quizzes, etc. to raise awareness of natural risks. Through its initiatives, it aims to develop a “culture of risk prevention” among students and teachers.


  • The Greek insurance association (HAIC) launched a digital awareness campaign — “Better to know than to think you know” — to provide consumers with useful information about private insurance and to set the record straight on some misperceptions. The campaign consists of six videos to educate the public about how private insurance works. Most of the videos emphasise the need for resilience in the face of natcat risks and the role of insurers in protecting private property. The videos are hosted on the interactive iknow-insurance.gr platform, which allows visitors to do a short quiz to test their knowledge of private insurance and then obtain additional information.

  • Insurance Sweden published a statistical report in November 2023 on how different municipalities and regions have been affected by damage caused by flooding, storm or fire.

  • Spotlighting the central role of municipalities in climate-change adaptation, Insurance Sweden ranks Swedish municipalities according to their adaptation work. The methodology is based on the European Commission’s Adaption Support Tool (2013). The ranking is released every other year, the June 2023 version is available here.


  • UNESPA, the Spanish insurance and reinsurance association, published a set of recommendations in October 2023 to help prepare for intense and persistent precipitation and to prevent damage. In advance of heavy precipitation, advice includes unplugging appliances that are located at floor level, parking vehicles on higher ground and checking the state of drainage systems and gutters.

  • UNESPA, launched a dedicated website in October 2021 — “Naturalmente Protegidos” (Naturally protected) to explain how natcat insurance works in Spain. It focuses on 10 different risks (rain, flood, wind, drought, frost, hail, snow, earthquake, volcanic eruption and lightning) and details for each how insurance covers property, life, harvests and livestock. The website illustrates the success of the Spanish public-private natcat insurance model. It was jointly developed by private insurers (UNESPA), the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (CCS) government scheme and Agroseguro, Spain’s agricultural insurance system, and was launched within the framework of Estamos Seguros, UNESPA’s financial education campaign (running since 2016).

  • In collaboration with CEPYME, the Spanish confederation of SMEs, UNESPA launched in October 2020 “Prevenir para crecer” (Prevent to grow), a website with information on insurance for SMEs. The website highlights potential risks to which SMEs are exposed, including natcat-related risks, and provides advice on how to prevent them.

  • Insurance Ireland, the Irish insurance association, and a number of Irish insurers have launched consumer blogs and information repositories on their websites to share useful information with consumers about responsible and ESG investing.

  • In 2023, Insurance Ireland established a Flood Policy Taskforce to review the Irish approach to the provision of flood cover. Work is ongoing in parallel with the Irish regulator’s work to quantify the Flood Protection Gap in Ireland.

  • In 2022, a Polish insurance company organised an electronic waste collection point at the company's headquarters. The aim of the campaign was to promote care for the environment, and to educate on waste segregation and the importance of proper disposal of e-waste. This company also launched a tree planting campaign.


  • The Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU), published “A climate of mounting losses. The role of insurance in climate protection and the energy transition” (2023), following an earlier report in 2018 entitled “Climate of risk: how prevention and insurance can mitigate the impact of natural disasters on the environment?”. The reports illustrate the impact of increasing risk exposure, highlight the role of insurance in this context and present recommendations for the development of a natural-disaster risk-management system in Poland.

The European insurance industry works to increase financial literacy in relation to risk awareness, insurance protection and long-term savings:

  • In 2024, a Croatian insurer launched the third edition of the SME EnterPRIZE sustainability contest, promoting sustainable business models among SMEs. Competing in social and environmental categories, the initiative has attracted over 420 applications across three contests, highlighting companies' positive environmental and community impact.

  • The Croatian Insurance Bureau (HUO) launched a first educational project in 2009, “Financial literacy in the Republic of Croatia”, which was followed by a range of educational activities, often implemented jointly with independent insurers. One of these activities, “Safer Tomorrow”, was initiated in 2021 and continues today, aiming to raise citizens’ awareness of the benefits of insurance. Within the framework of the project, HUO launched several videos and infographics, some of which specifically target young people. In December 2023, the “Safer Tomorrow” campaign won bronze in the international THE!AWARD for Digital Communication, recognising it as a key communication project in the region.

  • The HUO organises a yearly competition for the best scientific paper, the best graduate thesis and the best undergraduate thesis in the field of insurance. HUO also publishes the “Croatian magazine for INSURANCE”, a scientific journal for professionals to advance good practice in the sector. Finally, some insurers in Croatia created a colouring book for children to promote financial literacy at a young age in a fun and simple way. The HUO moreover offers education through its Insurance Education Centre, delivering professional training programmes on an on-going basis.

  • In Italy, the ANIA Academy, together with CeTIF (Research Centre on Technologies, Innovation and Finance of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), launched the fifth edition (2024) of the 2nd level master’s in insurance management to train professionals and enable them to respond to the challenges of the “new normal”.

  • In 2023, ANIA also developed, in collaboration with LUISS Business School, a major course in insurance management as part of its Executive Master in Financial Management.

  • Insurance Europe produces information for consumers as part of its “InsureWisely” financial education initiative. This includes one-pagers on different insurance topics, including how to limit the effects of natural catastrophes.

  • The French insurance association (France Assureurs) developed a series of educational booklets within the framework of EDUCFI (the French national strategy for economic, budgetary and financial education), an initiative launched by the French Central Bank. These booklets help users to better understand how insurance works and what insurance products do and do not cover.

  • The Spanish insurance association (UNESPA) set up a financial education programme for schools, “El Riesgo y Yo” (The Risk and I). It involves 35 insurance undertakings and 138 volunteers and aims to give 1737 teenage school students basic financial knowledge and insights into risk management. On 2 October 2023, the programme's overarching campaign, “Estamos Seguros” (We Are Safe), received the prestigious "Finanzas para todos" (Finance for all) Award from the Bank of Spain, the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, recognising its exceptional contribution to the Financial Education Plan.

  • Through windscreen repair education, resulting in windscreens being repaired rather than replaced when feasible, a Slovak company saved 68.6 tonnes of CO₂ in 2023, with the intention to continue promoting such sustainable practices.

  • Slovak insurers provide regular sustainability training for employees, covering both environmental and social topics, in collaboration with experts from non-profits and universities. Additionally, they maintain a dedicated sustainability section on their intranet, where employees can access relevant information, view upcoming workshops, and watch recordings of past lectures.

  • A Slovakian insurance company has established a voluntary group called the "Eco Team," focused on promoting an ecological mindset and advancing sustainability education. This initiative represents a positive effort to engage employees and enhance environmental awareness in the company.

  • The Polish Chamber of Insurance collaborates with the University of Warsaw on postgraduate studies in sustainable finance. One of the courses focuses on the "practical aspects of implementing ESG within the insurance sector.”

Several insurers have developed tools or applications to inform consumers of extreme weather events and whether their properties are at risk from such events.

  • In 2021, the German insurance association (GDV) introduced a new system for making the risk to buildings of heavy rain damage more transparent. Buildings are placed into one of three risk categories, depending on their location.

  • The German insurance sector has also developed the “Naturgefahrencheck” (Natural hazards check) and “Hochwassercheck” (Flood check) online tools. With one click, every citizen can check the degree to which their home is at risk of flood, hail and storms. It is quick and easy to understand, it provides the information by postal code area free of charge and it does not require registration.

  • The Austrian association of insurers (VVO) and the Austrian government jointly developed the HORA app/website (Natural Hazard Overview and Risk Assessment Austria), which helps to determine whether there is an impending risk of flooding or other natural hazards. The website also presents up-to-date weather data on floods, including on water levels, as well as earthquakes, storms, hail, lightning and snow.

  • French insurers participate in the National Observatory for Natural Risks, a project involving three major partners: the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the CCR (Caisse Centrale de Réassurance) and the MRN (Mission Risques Naturels), an association created by the French insurance association (France Assureurs). This initiative aims to boost prevention and contribute to increased awareness of the risk of natural disasters by keeping citizens informed of their exposure to potential natural hazards.

  • The Salvage Foundation was established as an independent foundation in 1986 at the initiative of Dutch fire insurers, which are all members of the Dutch insurance association (VVN). The Salvage Foundation is unique in Europe and provides aid after fire, water, lightning, explosion or storm damage. Salvage arrives on site within an hour, undertakes damage mitigation activities, arranges shelter and provides the insurance company with the information it needs to carry out the claim settlement process without delay.


  • In December 2023, the HAIC, the Greek insurance association, launched a natcat dashboard containing historical natcat insured loss data. The dashboard includes aggregated data from 26 particularly severe natural catastrophes between 2015 and 2022.

Some associations have developed tools to help insurers assess the risks and consequences of natural hazards.

  • In Germany, ZÜRS Geo (Zonierungssystem für Überschwemmungsrisiko und Einschätzung von Umweltrisiken) is an online zoning tool that allows insurers to calculate accurately different types of flood risk and offer risk-related premiums.

  • ANIA Safe, a subsidiary of Italian insurance association ANIA, created GeoSafe, a platform that uses AI-based calculations and models to help insurance companies evaluate the risks and consequences of natural hazards and disasters, such as floods, earthquakes and crop damage.


  • Insurance Sweden has developed a digital tool (MEPS Climate Calculation) to calculate the environmental footprint of property repair. With the aim of stimulating sustainable choices, the tool calculates the CO2 emissions related to the use of materials and energy, as well as to the transport of workers and materials. Insurance companies use the system to help their customers make sustainable choices of methods and materials.

  • The French insurance association (France Assureurs) created a dedicated technical body, Mission Risques Naturels (MRN) and MRN GIS (General Information System), to assist private insurers in analysing their customers’ and prospective customers’ exposure to different natural hazards. MRN GIS also gives insurers access to public authorities’ hazard-zoning data, and data on land-use planning restrictions by risk level.

  • The French CERES tool (accessible to insurers via the CCR website) helps private insurers to benchmark their geolocalised loss records against those of the market.

  • In Spain, UNESPA published a report to help insurers navigate the recommendations and opinions issued by supervisors and international organisations on the procedures for insurers to integrate sustainability risks and factors into the different areas of their governance.

Forecasting and early warnings

  • The Dutch insurance association (VVN) publishes an annual Climate Impact Monitor (Klimaat Impact Monitor) in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The Climate Impact Monitor provides a compilation of extreme weather data and loss data, and other climate-related data. The VVN collaborates with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) on issuing early warnings of extreme weather events. Combining data from the KNMI with risk and loss data from Dutch insurers allows for greater preparedness in the face of changing weather patterns, and the development of solutions to prevent damage from future extreme weather events.

  • UK insurers carry out a range of activities to support national and regional forecasting of future weather and catastrophe patterns. They use these outputs to inform their business practices, including pricing decisions and risk-based capital assessments. The UK insurance sector also uses such modelling in its dialogue with policymakers and has lobbied for robust action on climate change by the government.

  • French insurers are experimenting with a smartphone/SMS system to provide consumers with early warnings of extreme weather events.

  • The Czech insurance association (ČAP) and Intermap Technologies, with the support of reinsurer Swiss Re, created flood maps that are used to assess the likelihood of floods occurring in the Czech Republic. ČAP members use the system to evaluate risks and calculate property insurance premiums. It is also a useful free tool for consumers, as it helps them to determine whether their property is situated in a flood zone and it provides them with important information about insurance options, indicating for instance where there would be a possible premium increase. (Commercial and company use requires a contract with Intermap Technologies). The map data is updated regularly to ensure consistency with the information used by ČAP members.

  • The German insurance sector has also developed the “Naturgefahrencheck” (Natural hazards check) und “Hochwassercheck” (Flood check) online tools. With one click, every citizen can check the degree to which their home is at risk of flood, hail and storms. It is quick and easy to understand, it provides the information by postal code area free of charge and it does not require registration.The Austrian association of insurers (VVO) and the Austrian government jointly developed the HORA app/website (Natural Hazard Overview and Risk Assessment Austria), which helps to determine whether there is an impending risk of flooding or other natural hazards. The website also presents up-to-date weather data on floods, including on water levels, as well as earthquakes, storms, hail, lightning and snow.

  • In Germany, ZÜRS Geo (Zonierungssystem für Überschwemmungsrisiko und Einschätzung von Umweltrisiken) is an online zoning tool that allows insurers to calculate accurately different types of flood risk and offer risk-related premiums.

  • ANIA Safe, a subsidiary of Italian insurance association ANIA, created GeoSafe, a platform that uses AI-based calculations and models to help insurance companies evaluate the risks and consequences of natural hazards and disasters, such as floods, earthquakes and crop damage.