This project aims to investigate the crisis of uninsurability as many Australians are unable to access or afford insurance due to severe climate catastrophes and breakdowns in risk governance.

This project expects to generate new knowledge about the complex conditions of climate vulnerability through an interdisciplinary approach that synthesises ethnographic studies of technical risk models, reinsurance practices, and communities on the frontlines of crisis. Expected outcomes include a strong empirical basis for developing techno-political theories of risk governance and responses to climate crisis. This should provide significant benefits, such as innovative policies that contribute to climate justice and advance Australia’s resilience.

‘This is both an economic and a governance crisis,’ said Dr Sadowski. ‘As climate impacts escalate, a growing number of Australians can no longer afford essential forms of protection, like home and flood insurance.’

‘We need to understand who is making decisions about risk, how those decisions are shaped, and what kinds of futures they’re creating.’

Taking a multidisciplinary approach, Dr Sadowski will combine ethnographic fieldwork with technical analysis to study how reinsurance markets operate, how risk data is produced and interpreted, and how vulnerable communities are affected on the ground.

He aims to build a new evidence base to inform theories of how risk is governed through technology, finance and policy. The project’s principal goal is to help guide more equitable responses to climate-related threats and support the development of policies that strengthen national resilience and climate justice.

Project lead: Dr Jathan Sadowski

ARC funding: $1.1M

Duration: 2025-2028

Contact: Jathan Sadowski

Phone:

Email: jathan.sadowsi@monash.edu