The impact of climate change will affect the health of nations, ecosystems and even the sustainability of the global economy, Jacque DuBois, a member of the executive board of Swiss Re Group and chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corp., said in opening remarks.

Given the ferocity of hurricanes in the last two months, the collaboration underscores the need to look at the bottom line, according to Paul Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment with Harvard Medical School.

That bottom line, he said, includes health issues as well as business issues. The upside, according to Mr. Epstein, is that the world health, financial and investment communities may be able to turn clean energy into an investment opportunity that will benefit the environment and present practical business benefits.

Swiss Re believes that clean energy is tied to the sustainability of business, according to Ivo Menzinger, head of sustainability and emerging risk management at Swiss Re.

Among the reasons he cited were Swiss Re's risk transfer business and the impact of long-term trends on claims the company might have to pay.

In addition, he said that as a large institutional investor, a change in climate could impact the sustainability of a company or an industry.

Mr. Menzinger said Swiss Re is committed to "greenhouse neutral" status by 2013. The status, he explained, is a combination of reducing emissions by 50 percent and investing in carbon dioxide-free causes.

If climate changes impact mortality, then there would be a need to change rates or increase deductibles to make sure that costs are commensurate with risks, he added.

Swiss Re's Mr. DuBois added that directors & officers coverage could be impacted if carbon dioxide-generating companies experience increased liabilities for emissions into the air. He cited a recent effort by eight state attorneys general, including New York and California, attempting to hold utility companies liable for emissions.

Mr. DuBois said that although it is not currently clear, there is the potential that if institutional investors shy away from companies or industries that are not sustainable, then market volatility could impact baby boomers' retirement accounts.

Mr. Epstein noted that clean energy might not only be a bottom line issue for Wall Street but could also be one for baby boomers and their children as they seek to secure their future.

Jim Connolly is senior editor for NU's Life & Health Magazine