Des Moines, IA (northwestiowanow.com) — Natural disasters in Iowa are becoming more frequent and costly, with damages reaching millions or even billions of dollars. Experts link this trend to climate change. The 15th annual Iowa Climate Statement, released Monday and endorsed by 177 faculty members from 24 colleges statewide, warns of growing risks.

Drake University professor Dave Courard-Hauri says disasters like droughts and floods affect more than insurance claims—they ripple through the entire economy.

Although farmers are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and their financial impacts, the report warns that the American dream of homeownership could become out of reach for some Iowa families as climate change drives insurance premiums higher.

Bill Gutowski, Iowa State University professor, says global temperatures are rising because burning fossil fuels increases greenhouse gases.

Adjusted for inflation, billion-dollar disasters in Iowa’s region have more than doubled over the past 40 years. Peter Thorne, a University of Iowa environmental health professor, says these Midwest events reflect a global trend of broken climate records, rising losses, and soaring insurance costs.

The report says some insurance companies have pulled out of Iowa and elsewhere after recent disasters, like the 2020 derecho.

(Radio Iowa – Des Moines)