The five-year moving average of the Actuaries Climate Index (ACI), which measures changes in extreme climate events and sea level, has been updated.
The average is now 1.20 for Canada and the United States, compared with zero during the 1961-1990 reference period. After three consecutive declines, this average climbed from 1.16 to 1.20.
Summer of 2021 worse than summer of 2016
The updated climate index now includes the summer 2021 seasonal data. These data are 2.5 for Canada and the United States. This is the first time a seasonal index has passed the 2-point mark.
The summer 2021 data replaced the summer 2016 data (1.59).
The farther the Actuaries Climate Index averages are from zero, the steeper the increase in extreme climate events and sea level rise.
Six variables combined
The ACI combines quarterly seasonal data collected since 1961 for six variables representative of the key impacts of climate on people and the economy: high and low temperatures, heavy rainfall, drought, high wind, and sea level.
This index is a tool designed “to help inform actuaries, public policymakers, and the general public about climate trends and some of the potential impacts of a changing climate on the United States and Canada,” the ACI website explains.
The Actuaries Climate Index was launched in 2016 by four organizations representing the actuarial profession in Canada and the United States: the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, the American Academy of Actuaries, the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Society of Actuaries.
