An issue to watch is the extent to which extreme weather events will affect the profitability of some segments of the wellness industry – particularly wellness resorts located in places susceptible to climate disruption. More than 10 years ago, major insurance companies involved in the Global Risk Network of the World Economic Forum were already asserting that global warming would increase the intensity and severity of extreme weather events.
It seems that this is now upon us. Irma – the most powerful hurricane ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean – has already destroyed, beyond repair, several cities and islands (that are wellness resort heavy) situated in its path. Nobody can tell with a reasonable degree of confidence whether hurricanes Irma and Harvey were caused by climate change, but nobody can dispute that global warming acted as an amplifier as it does for so many other extreme weather events.