As climate-fueled disasters become more frequent and severe, homeowners, renters, and businesses are seeing insurance premiums soar—or losing coverage altogether. While the insurance industry increasingly blames climate risk, communities are left paying the price, even as the fossil fuel companies driving the crisis continue to profit.
This panel will bring together advocates, policy experts, and public officials to examine the growing climate insurance crisis through the lens of affordability, accountability, and state leadership. Using emerging state actions—including groundbreaking legal efforts by attorneys general—as a jumping-off point, panelists will explore how policymakers can protect consumers, hold polluters accountable for escalating climate costs, and build a more resilient insurance system.
Admittance available on a first come, first serve basis.
Panelists:
Elyse Schupak, Policy Advocate at Public Citizen
Elyse Schupak is a policy advocate with Public Citizen’s Climate Program, working at the intersection of financial regulation and climate change. Prior to joining Public Citizen, Elyse worked on economic policy and climate issues for former U.S. Congressman Mondaire Jones, and on various political campaigns. Elyse started her career on a fixed income portfolio management team at BlackRock. She holds a master’s degree in International Political Economy from The London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree in Finance from Emory University.
Frances Sawyer, Founder and Principal at Pleiades Strategy
Frances Sawyer leads Pleiades Strategy where she advises mission-oriented organizations on strategic planning, policy research and design, and program management. Sawyer formerly served as policy advisor to investor and philanthropist Tom Steyer and as Deputy Director of External Affairs to CA Governor Jerry Brown. In both roles, she focused on partnership development, storytelling, and intersectional policy design. At home at the intersection of big ideas and operational strategy, she has also served as chief of staff to the Internet Archive and the healthcare start-up, Detect. Sawyer earned her masters at the Yale School of the Environment. Her favorite hobby is picnicking.
Chris Kocher, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Extreme Weather Survivors
Chris Kocher is the co-founder and co-executive director of Extreme Weather Survivors (EWS), and is an expert in building national survivor networks and trauma-informed advocacy programs. In 2020, he launched COVID Survivors for Change, where he co-created a national remembrance event that placed 20,000 empty chairs outside the White House lawn, provided thousands of hours of free grief support for those most impacted, and helped pass baby bonds legislation in California. Previously, he served as the founding director of the survivor network at Everytown and Moms Demand Action, where he connected and supported hundreds of families through grief and advocacy. Chris is an attorney and a first-generation college graduate of Cornell University and Duke Law School.
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An event of the State and Local Climate Policy Symposium.
Environmental Advocates NY
Politico
New York
09/22/2026 at 09:00AM