U.S. Insurers Hold Half-Trillion in Fossil Fuel Assets

The nation’s top insurers hold at least a half-trillion dollars in fossil fuel investments that could become financially risky amid tightening carbon controls, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by sustainability advocacy group Ceres.

A recent slump in oil prices due to oversupply has already negatively affected investment results for some insurers in what Ceres says could be a preview of things to come if climate policies turn coal, oil and gas reserves and infrastructure into so-called stranded assets.

“Take this as an early warning,” Cynthia McHale, who directs the Boston-based nonprofit’s insurance program and co-authored the analysis, told Bloomberg ...