Alaska warns insurers over climate underwriting
Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox and Commerce Commissioner Julie Sande sent warning letters Monday to AIG, Zurich, Chubb and The Hartford, alleging some climate-related underwriting and exclusion policies may violate Alaska insurance and consumer-protection laws by restricting coverage for Arctic and energy projects without a risk-based rationale. The move, backed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s comments, comes days after Alaska’s delegation helped overturn Biden-era limits on ANWR exploration and cites insurers’ net‑zero targets and broad Arctic exclusions as potential de‑facto barriers to lawful investment.
📌 Key Facts
- Four insurers named: AIG, Zurich, Chubb, The Hartford
- Letters argue underwriting must be risk-based and not driven by long-range climate policy or blanket Arctic exclusions
- Action follows congressional disapproval of ANWR Section 1002 restrictions on Thursday
📊 Relevant Data
Revenues from Alaska's oil and gas industry fund about half of the state government.
Alaska Profile Analysis — EIA
The oil and gas sector in Alaska employed approximately 8,100 people in 2024 and is expected to gain 600 jobs in 2025.
Construction and oil expected to lead job growth in Alaska this year — Alaska Beacon
Alaska is warming at two to three times the rate of the global average.
Alaska and a Changing Climate — USDA Climate Hubs
In 2023, Alaska's population was 60.7% White, 13.79% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.42% Asian, 3.1% Black or African American, 1.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, with 7.5% identifying as two or more races.
Alaska Population 2025 — World Population Review
Alaska Native communities, comprising about 14% of the state's population, are disproportionately affected by climate change through coastal erosion, thawing permafrost, and retreating sea ice, threatening food security and infrastructure.
Alaska's Climate Crisis, Human Rights, and the Indigenous Voices Leading the Fight — Harvard Kennedy School
Alaska Native corporations share about 70% of the revenue earned from oil, natural gas, and other natural resources in proportion to their native shareholder populations.
Alaska Profile Analysis — EIA
Climate change in Alaska is leading to increased infrastructure damage from permafrost thaw, sea level rise, and coastal erosion, resulting in higher economic costs and insurance risks.
Economic Effects of Climate Change in Alaska — AMS Journals