Adaptation to Climate Extremes

Estimated response of insurance take-up across policy types. (a) The estimated impact of major flood disaster declarations on insurance take-up, comparing the response for policies that are purchased for primary residences and non-primary residences. (b) Comparison of the estimated insurance take-up in response to a disaster declaration, for census tracts where the cost burden of insurance is above or below the national average. (c) As in panel (a), for renter policies. (d) As in panel (b), for renter policies. From Choi et al., Earth's Future, 2024.

June Choi is a PhD candidate investigating the impact of extreme climate events with the aim to inform adaptation financing strategies.

As global temperatures are expected to surpass the critical 1.5C warming threshold by the early 2030s, understanding how to prepare, manage, and respond to climate change impacts is an urgent priority. However, how to effectively and equitably allocate financing for adaptation remains an open question. Using causal inference and robust decision-making methods, June’s research aims to answer this question by investigating the multi-sectoral dynamics and interactions across human-Earth systems that shape climate risks, and identifying the multiple channels and adaptive capacities that amplify or moderate these risks.