ENVIRONMENT

Greenpeace Details Insurance Fears of Global Warming: The environmental group released a report describing concern among some large reinsurance firms over the possibility that global warming could be responsible for an unprecedented string of recent cyclones, hurricanes and other major natural disasters. Records of catastrophic insurance losses over the last 25 years show no disaster costing insurers $1 billion until a 1987 hurricane-force wind ripped through Northern Europe, causing $2.5 billion in damage. In the five years since then, 14 natural disasters costing more than $1 billion have been recorded worldwide. “We appear to be having more insurance losses from catastrophes,” agreed Gerald E. Lewinsohn, senior insurance analyst at Merrill Lynch, “and nobody has a good answer . . . but it would surprise me if the reinsurers as a group decided that global warming is the cause. It may in fact be the cause, of course.”