Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg receives direct message from activists during US China business event in New York
October 15th, 2024 (New York, New York) — Evan Greenberg, CEO of Chubb Insurance, was the main focus for protestors outside of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations gala event Tuesday evening in Manhattan. Greenberg is the Executive Vice Chair of the NCUSCR Board and Chubb is a leading sponsor of the event. The activists were demanding that Chubb stop insuring Cameron LNG, Freeport LNG, and Tacoma LNG — and all major methane terminals that are part of the biggest buildout of fossil fuel infrastructure in a generation.
“We’re here to demand Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg stop insuring methane. He claims to be a climate leader but Chubb is one of the biggest fossil fuel insurers in the world and continues to insure methane export terminals that are wreaking havoc on Gulf communities and unleashing more deadly hurricanes. We challenge Mr. Greenberg to demonstrate true climate leadership by dropping coverage for dangerous fossil fuel projects, like Cameron LNG and Freeport LNG.”
More than 20 activists were present to greet the attendees at the Ziegfeld Ballroom (141 W 54th Street in Manhattan), with banners reading “Chubb: Stop Insuring Methane.”
The protest comes just days after Hurricanes Helene and Milton have left incredible damage, suffering and casualties in their wake throughout the Southern East Coast of the United States. Reports have shown that insurance companies in the U.S. have invested more than $500 billion in fossil fuel-related coverage in 2019 — including coal, oil, and gas — receiving $21 billion from fossil fuel premiums in 2022 alone. Fossil fuels are the overwhelming source of the greenhouse gasses (GHGs) driving climate change.
Compounding this crisis, homeowners from North Carolina to Florida to California are facing an insurance crisis as home policies are being canceled and rates are being hiked due to “climate related risks.” All of these factors illustrate how the insurance industry is making the climate crisis worse by supporting fossil fuel infrastructure, profiting from these fossil fuel clients, and yet placing homeowners at risk for catastrophic liability for a problem they are exacerbating — all to protect their bottom line.
“Chubb’s climate policies are a good first step. But these methane terminals threaten communities, livelihoods, and our collective future. We cannot pretend there is anything natural about 'natural gas' — and we cannot lock ourselves into decades of fossil fuel chaos by continuing to build these dangerous projects.”