Hundreds of virtual attendees heard from featured speakers and panellists at the 15th annual risk mitigation leadership forum presented by Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe.

The global provider of re/insurance hosted thought leaders, risk scientists and community experts at the “Protecting Communities from Climate Change: Using Portsmouth, Virginia to Kickstart Global Solutions” event.

RenaissanceRe said that the forum sought to advance risk-mitigation efforts and awareness, support community preparedness and resilience, and strategise how to better prepare for, and respond to, natural catastrophes.

Using Portsmouth as a case study, the forum established a real-world framework that can be applied to vulnerable communities across the globe, the company said.

Kevin O’Donnell, president and chief executive officer of RenaissanceRe, said: “Climate change is making extreme-weather events more frequent and severe and is an urgent issue for communities, businesses and governments.

“Protecting communities and enabling prosperity is an important purpose and we’ve long applied our risk expertise and resources to drive better understanding of the impacts of climate change,

“We are proud to mark the 15th event in our Risk Mitigation Forum Leadership series with the goal of developing collaborative solutions, enhancing physical and financial resiliency of at-risk communities and reducing the increasingly catastrophic effects of natural disasters.”

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam remarked on the important issues discussed at the forum, saying: “The fight against climate change requires us all to work together — public and private sectors, as well as the people it affects every day.

"We see real results when we listen to the science, focus on mitigation efforts and understand the roles private industry and the public sector must play to help communities transition to a resilient and sustainable future.

“I’m proud RenaissanceRe chose to focus on Portsmouth this year. What we learnt today will inform future resilience efforts in Virginia and across the globe.”

In 2008, RenaissanceRe said, it created the forum series to advance the disaster safety movement in a collaborative way and develop strategies that foster community resiliency.

The events bring together academics, scientists, conservationists and public and private sector representatives to foster risk-mitigation efforts across a wide range of perils and regions.

RenaissanceRe said it believes that an important purpose is to protect communities and enable prosperity and, by applying its risk expertise and financial resources to engendering the practice of mitigation, the company seeks to reduce the severe effects of disasters on global societies and be a positive force for change.

The company is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance that specialises in matching well-structured risks with efficient sources of capital. It provides property, casualty and specialty reinsurance and certain insurance solutions to customers, principally through intermediaries.

Established in 1993, RenaissanceRe has offices in Bermuda, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.