When the recent precipitous rise in insurance rates shocked Louisiana homeowners, the response from them, their new insurance commissioner and their politicians was — sadly — expected: Who do we blame?

Voters blamed insurance companies.

Commissioner Tim Temple blamed protections for ratepayers and had those removed.

The Legislature and Gov. Jeff Landry were too busy worrying about bathroom use, library books and the Second Amendment to really face the problem.

But the answer was easily seen from the Capitol building’s 27th-floor observation deck. You can spot it gushing from smokestacks in the refineries and chemical plants circling the city, from tailpipes in traffic jams and from giant oil tankers and barges chugging downriver loaded with coal.

It’s the fossil fuels mined from the earth, burned and released as greenhouse gas emissions for the profits of some, the easy lifestyles of most and the permanent and expensive agony of everyone.

Human-caused climate change — the reality our governor and many others refuse to acknowledge — is the cause of this financial pain.

Premiums for insurance policies — even their availability — are based on risk. As risks rise, premiums rise to make sure companies can cover damages. Now climate change has made Louisiana one of the riskiest places anywhere for insurers.

And the certainty those risks will shortly become even more severe was shouted to the world two weeks ago when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made its prediction for the 2024 hurricane season.

Key points:

• This summer will likely see 17 to 25 named storms, 8 to 13 hurricanes and 4 to 7 major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher — the highest total ever predicted by NOAA.
• Just as importantly, this represents a trend: There were 15 hurricanes in 2005 and 30 in 2020.

But wait — there’s more!

Insurance companies are also digesting news that the Gulf of Mexico has become the most suitable spot for hurricane development because it’s rising and heating faster than any other spot on the planet.

• Ocean temperature drives hurricane development, and NOAA says the Gulf is warming twice as quickly as the rest of the world’s oceans.
• Since 2010, the Gulf has risen at about triple the rate experienced during the previous 30 years and at twice the global rate over the past 14 years.
• Researchers have shown that the warmer and higher Gulf of Mexico has resulted in larger storms causing much more damage.
• Climate scientists have concluded that emissions already pumped into the system mean current risks are the new normal and may grow more intense over the next few decades.

Now, that famous climatologist Jeff Landry may still disagree with the science showing humans are primarily responsible.

But those very smart insurance executives don’t draw their conclusions based on contributions from the oil and gas lobby. They base their decisions on their balance sheets, which show claims from previous storms combined with the latest science makes the Gulf a very dangerous place to seek profits. If they haven’t already pulled out or gone bankrupt, they have raised their premiums.

But how long will they stick around if the heart of hurricane alley keeps bleeding their companies for billions in losses?

For that matter, how long will the state be able to hold onto residents and businesses, much less attract newcomers, if insurance is unaffordable?

The real solution to this problem can be found by looking in the mirror. The face you see has likely been electing politicians like Landry, who tell you that you shouldn’t believe the rest of the world, that this is all a hoax.

Fortunately, scientists say there’s still a window to recover from that scam. We can still slow the rise down for our grandchildren if we begin to rapidly reduce emissions over the next seven to 10 years.

So if you want to stop rising insurance premiums from becoming unaffordable, you have two choices.

You can vote for politicians who support the transition from fossil fuels taking place across the country and the world.

Or you can move.

Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followed on Twitter @BMarshallEnviro.