For example, I would be very surprised if protection against extreme climate events had not been greatly improved in western Europe over the past 20 years.

Perhaps you should tell this to the Brits who got caught in the 2007 UK floods, because about half of all the British houses built after World War II were built, knowingly, in river floodplains, and housing construction continued unabated even after the 1947 flood.

Or consider, although not related to climate, the extensive urbanisation around the Vesuvius.

I've a sketch of a muse on disasters in modern Europe that simply have not been anticipated yet, either because of the habit of humans to forget about disasters after a generation, or simply because they haven't occurred through recent history.

eurogreen:

They may well know things, as insurers, that are not publishable science, but are actionable knowledge.

See above my argumentation why that is unacceptable to release such knowledge without evidence.