Actuaries Climate Index Winter 2017–18 Data Released
11/15/2018
Actuaries Climate Index® Winter 2017–18 Data Released
ACI Five-year Average of Climate Extremes Continues Upward
Washington, D.C., Arlington, VA, Schaumburg, IL, and Ottawa, ON (November 15, 2018)—Organizations representing the actuarial profession in Canada and the United States report new Actuaries Climate Index® (ACI) data, showing that the five-year moving average of climate extremes and sea level across the two countries reached a new high with data released for winter 2017–18.
“Rising sea levels and more frequent high temperatures are sustaining the long-term trend of higher ACI values,” says Doug Collins, chair of the Climate Index Working Group, which helped develop the index.
Measured with the new winter 2017–18 data included, the five-year moving average of the ACI increased to 1.23, compared to 1.19 in fall 2017, the last period with available data from the ACI. The elevated index value reflects continued deviation of climate and sea level extremes from historical levels for the two countries.
The decline in the last seasonal ACI value did not keep the five-year moving average from rising. “The seasonal index value for winter 2017–18 was 1.08, compared to 2.00 in the fall, and an average of 1.83 for the previous nine seasons combined, but still well above any of the seasonal values in the reference period, and it replaced a much lower value in the moving five-year average,” says Collins.
