Costs of flooding: A call for climate adaptation

Natural disasters, such as floods, can have devastating consequences for the corporations and sovereigns that are impacted, as well as for the debt that they have issued. Extreme environmental events can lead to financial losses, operational disruptions and the erosion of investor confidence. Understanding these risks is therefore crucial for making well-informed investment decisions and can allow for potential mitigating measures.

Flood risk is one of the most material environmental risks within the region where a majority of our European and Sustainable Fixed Income investment footprint is allocated. The most easily measurable cost is financial, of course, since floods can damage infrastructure, homes, businesses, crops and more. Average annual flood losses in Europe range between €7billion to €10 billion and only between €0.7billion to €1.5 billion of the total is insured.¹ This highlights the deep financial impact of floods and the urgent need for investment in resilience and mitigation strategies.

Besides the financial toll, flooding also has significant environmental and social costs. It can have significant effects on individual species and whole ecosystems, including habitat destruction, displacement and increased risk of extinction. One of the ways this happens is because floods can transport pollutants, alter soil nutrients and create ideal conditions for invasive species. Meanwhile, the social impacts of flooding include health risks and displacement, as well as the amplification of existing social inequalities. Floods disproportionately impact marginalized groups due to their limited resources and lack of access to recovery systems.

It is therefore crucial, in our opinion, to invest in resilience and adaptation strategies, such as physical infrastructure improvements or nature-based solutions, which aim to reduce the economic burden of flooding and protect vulnerable communities.

From an investor’s perspective, we advocate for understanding the risks that stem from flooding and acknowledging their impact on investment outcomes. We believe that financing specific solutions to increase climate resilience can help protect investments from the effects of extreme weather events, and therefore, could contribute to better, more sustainable long-term financial returns.