Increased flood insurance premiums, pushed up by increasing flood risks, are likely inducing hundreds of thousands of policyholders to drop their flood insurance coverage, leaving them exposed to potentially crippling financial losses. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, is increasing the risk of flooding in the U.S. More than 425,000 policyholders have discontinued their National Flood Insurance Program flood insurance coverage since FEMA began to raise premiums last year to more accurately reflect flood risks. Though it is unclear how many policyholders replaced their NFIP coverage with private insurance, “those who need insurance the most are the least able to afford it,” Carolyn Kousky, a flood insurance expert at EDF, told E&E News. (E&E News; Climate Signals background: Flooding)