Climate and Sustainability Branch - Deputy Commissioner

Michael Peterson was appointed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to the position of Deputy Commissioner of the newly created Branch of Climate and Sustainability on January 7, 2019. Michael was a legislative consultant for Senator Lara focusing on climate change, natural resources, and energy policy as well as being the consultant for the Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement. He also served as liaison with the California Air Resources Board, of which Senator Lara was a member. He previously worked for the California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water.

Michael's role as Deputy Commissioner of the Climate and Sustainability Branch is to develop and oversee policy initiatives related to understanding and reducing climate risk and promoting a sustainable insurance market in California. The climate and sustainability portfolio includes contributing to wildfire resilience policy development, expanding the existing Climate Risk Carbon Initiative, exploring new scenario analyses of physical and transition risks, leading new initiatives through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Climate Risk and Resilience Executive Task Force, and implementing recent legislation.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College, a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science – Freshwater Ecology from Western Washington University, and a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California at Berkeley.

The Climate and Sustainability Branch was established in January 2019 to develop and oversee policy initiatives related to understanding and reducing climate risk and promoting a sustainable insurance market in California. The climate and sustainability portfolio includes contributing to wildfire resilience policy development, expanding the existing Climate Risk Carbon Initiative, exploring new scenario analyses of physical and transition risks, leading new initiatives through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners  Climate Risk and Resilience Executive Task Force, and implementing recent legislation.

The Climate and Sustainability Branch consists of:

• Climate Risk and Sustainability
• Data Analytics and Reporting