Studies have shown that heat emanating from basements, train tunnels, sewers, and other underground systems in major metropolises in the U.S. and Europe is heating the ground between city surfaces and the bedrock by as much as 27 degrees Fahrenheit in some places over the last several decades.  This subterranean heating, dubbed “underground climate change” by scientists, is impacting ground soil conditions, causing layers of sand, clay and rock to expand or contract by as much as half an inch beneath some buildings.  These conditions are already causing structural strains on buildings and even exacerbating cracks and defects in walls and foundations.  Should the problem go unabated, significantly more structural damage is expected.  This session will examine property insurance coverage for loss and damage resulting from underground climate change, focusing on potentially relevant policy conditions and exclusions, including the earth movement exclusion and potential exceptions thereto.  The discussion also will include critical issues in connection with insurance causation and the various rules typically applied in determining the cause of a property damage loss for insurance coverage purposes.

Please come visit us in the exhibit hall at the San Diego Convention Center at Booth 1017!