Drought is greatest climate risk for Switzerland

Heat is the greatest climate risk for Switzerland, according to the federal government Keystone-SDA

Increasing heat and droughts have become the greatest climate-related risks to human health in Switzerland, according to the federal government.

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The threats were unveiled among the findings of the new climate risk analysis for Switzerland.

+ Why water-rich Switzerland needs to monitor for droughts

The report is intended to serve as a basis for Switzerland’s adaptation to climate change, as announced by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) on Thursday.

For the risk analysis, FOEN assessed the climate risks for Switzerland for the second time since 2017 and estimated their development up to 2060.

According to the analysis, increasing heat stress already poses the greatest risk to human health today. This risk will increase as society ages.

FOEN identified summer drought as another major risk. By 2060, up to a quarter less rain will fall in summer and dry periods will generally last longer.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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