New FOEN report Heat is the greatest climate risk for Switzerland, according to the federal government
Extreme weather events pose an increasing risk to the population due to man-made climate change. According to a new FOEN report, heat has a particularly devastating effect.
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- The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has presented a new report on climate risks for Switzerland.
- According to the report, heat poses the greatest risk to the health of the Swiss. Urban areas are particularly affected.
- In 2023, 542 deaths in Switzerland could already be attributed to heat.
- The report is based on the assumption that climate emissions will continue to rise.
Heatwaves, dry summers, heavy rainfall and changing habitats: according to a new report from the federal government, climate change poses increasing risks for people in Switzerland.
"Climate risks affect us all and they are increasing," said Roland Hohmann from the Climate Division of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in Bern on Thursday.
As a basis for adapting to climate change, the FOEN has analyzed the climate risks for Switzerland for the second time since 2017 and assessed their development up to 2060. The report is based on the assumption that climate emissions will continue to rise, as Hohmann explained. It is based on current scientific literature and interviews with experts.
Heat is the deadliest climate hazard today
According to the report, the greatest risk to the health of the Swiss is heat. Urban areas are particularly affected, said Hohmann. Heat is the deadliest climate hazard today. In 2023, 542 deaths in Switzerland could be attributed to heat.
In addition, high temperatures are already affecting people's well-being, health and performance. With climate change, periods of heat and very hot days will become more frequent and more intense. Risks due to increasing heat stress will be exacerbated as a result.
At the same time, Switzerland's population is getting older and older. In addition to people, economic activities, infrastructure, agriculture and forestry are also affected by the heat.
Summers are becoming drier
The current report classifies drought as a significantly greater threat than in the last climate risk report eight years ago. Dry summers have become more frequent in recent years, the authors noted in the report. This has far-reaching consequences for agriculture, forestry and shipping, but also for ecosystems.
In the last intensive dry periods in 2003, 2015 and 2018, roughage production was up to 25 percent lower than in other years, explained Hohman.
According to the report, up to a quarter less rain will fall in summer by 2060, and dry periods will generally last longer.
Heavy rainfall and unstable slopes
At the same time as the increasing drought, heavy rainfall is also on the rise. In addition to flooding, this can also lead to events such as debris flows.
In addition, increasing heavy precipitation in combination with thawing permafrost and melting glaciers also leads to increasing instability in the mountains. "The event in Blatten has shown that this risk can also affect inhabited areas," emphasized Hohmann.
According to the report, the risk will change and become more pronounced locally as a result of climate change. "In the Alpine region in particular, gravitational mass movements are among the most relevant risks of climate change because slope stability is decreasing and the area is being used more intensively," the experts write in the analysis.
The report also identified changes in species composition as a further risk. Hohmann explained that the change would bring alien species to Switzerland. These include, for example, the Asian tiger mosquito, which brings new pathogens such as dengue viruses to Central Europe.
Measures can reduce risks
According to the climate risk analysis, climate change also offers opportunities. For example, the consumption of heating energy decreases with milder winters and the conditions for summer tourism improve due to longer dry periods. However, these opportunities are estimated to be lower in the new climate risk report than in the previous version.
The consequences can be reduced by taking measures to adapt to climate change, as the FOEN emphasized. However, further efforts are necessary to minimize future risks. The federal government supports adaptation projects of the cantons, municipalities and companies within the framework of the CO2 Act. However, the most important measure for limiting climate change remains the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
