There are three big reasons why insurance professionals should remain well-informed about the environmental issues facing the communities and industries they serve. First, policyholders who operate in traditionally high-polluting industries come with distinct risks that may require creative mitigation and coverage solutions. This is an opportunity for insurance agents and brokers to become ad hoc experts on those issues and then capitalize on that knowledge to bring value to their clients. Second, as catastrophic weather events, which mainstream science says are directly linked to climate change, become more frequent, severe and costly, the insurance industry, as a whole, is considering how it can take the lead on environmental issues in order to reverse this claims trend. The third reason is one that many in insurance may not have fathomed even a year ago: The COVID-19 pandemic. It has been well-established that the individuals most at risk of developing severe or fatal symptoms from the novel coronavirus are those with compromised immune systems due to such conditions as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although coronavirus statistics change daily, QuoteWizard.com compiled virus infection rates and compared them to the states in the U.S. that are statistically considered high polluters. Considering that high levels of air pollution can play a factor in compromised health, it may not come as a surprise that high-polluting states also have been the locations of coronavirus hot spots, according to QuoteWizard. The slideshow above illustrates the top polluting states in the U.S., according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data analyzed by QuoteWizard. Related:

• Climate change challenges insurers to think beyond risk transfer
• American optimism, insurance and the climate crisis
• The I.I.I. Joint Industry Forum tackles climate risk and more