Why Switzerland is still not ready to face heatwaves
Several Swiss cities have strengthened their measures against heatwaves through alerts, awareness campaigns and climate shelters. However, a nationwide strategy is still lacking.
“It may sound paradoxical, but I suffer more from the heat in Switzerland than in Spain,” says Ana Maria Vicedo CabreraExternal link, an environmental epidemiologist and professor at the University of Bern.
The Spanish researcher studies the effects of climate change on human health. “Spain is certainly hotter than Switzerland, but we have become accustomed to living with these conditions. In Switzerland, we have not yet adapted,” she told Swissinfo.
This summer is likely to be the hottest ever recorded in Switzerland. Daily temperatures have exceeded the long-term average by 5°C to 10°C. In several places, the mercury approached 40°C, and heatwave alerts remained in effect for weeks. In Lugano, in southern Switzerland, 49 tropical nights were recorded, during which temperatures never dropped below 20°C, setting a record since measurements began in 1865.
Several Swiss cities have introduced measures to protect the most vulnerable people, especially the elderly. These range from awareness campaigns to climate shelters. Heat isn’t just a meteorological phenomenon, but a public health issue, Cabrera notes.
However, protection against the effects of heatwaves in Switzerland remains insufficient, according to her. Measures vary considerably from one city to another, there is no coordinated national strategy, and some at-risk groups remain largely excluded.
“In the past, heat was seen as a problem limited to a few days a year and to a few cantons. That is no longer the case. The effects of heatwaves are now felt, directly or indirectly, throughout Switzerland,” says Cabrera.
Free access to swimming pools and a map of shaded benches
The canton of Ticino, in Italian-speaking Switzerland, and the city of Geneva were the first in the country to adopt tools and action plans against heatwaves, in 2004 and 2007 respectively. These strategies include early warning systems, coordination between social and healthcare services, and access to cool places like green spaces or air-conditioned cinema theatres.
High temperatures can cause fatigue and heatstroke, dehydration, worsen a range of medical conditions and, in severe cases, lead to death. Older people, individuals with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable.
In Geneva, residents aged 65 and over can access two municipal swimming pools free of charge in the morning and three air-conditioned cinemas in the afternoon during the hottest days. Around 8,600 people took advantage of these freebies between June 18 and August 5.
The effectiveness of such interventions on public health is still being assessed, says Cabrera. Nevertheless, the idea of establishing climate shelters is particularly relevant in Switzerland, where most homes do not have air conditioning and are not thermally insulated against heat.
Another advantage of these spaces is their potential to encourage social interaction, which is especially important in the context of increasingly long heatwaves.
“You cannot ask older people to remain indoors for five or six consecutive days. They need to be able to go shopping, maintain social relationships and engage in physical activity, otherwise their health may deteriorate,” Cabrera notes. She says clear alternatives are needed to the oft-repeated advice of avoiding the hottest hours of the day or drinking enough water.
In recent years, other municipal and cantonal authorities have also strengthened their heat protection measuresExternal link. Bern and Lucerne maintain daily contact with older residents during heatwaves, while Zurich offers free home support services. Neuchâtel, for its part, created a mapExternal link this summer showing benches located in shaded areas.
Critics of Switzerland’s heat protection measures
Swiss cities’ steps to address extreme heat still lag behind cities such as Paris, Barcelona and various locations in the United States, says Cabrera.
The French capital, for example, is preparing for an extreme heat scenario (“Paris at 50°CExternal link”) through a network of cool spaces accessible to residents, increased vegetation and water features in public areas, as well as urban planning measures designed to limit the urban heat island effect.
Eleni Myrivili, the United Nations’ leading expert on extreme heat, recently criticised Switzerland’s inadequate adaptation to climate warming. In an interview with Schweiz am WochenendeExternal link, she argued that a country like Switzerland should have much stronger protection systems for vulnerable groups and that the roughly 200External link heat-related deaths recorded at the beginning of the summer could have been prevented.
The first major heatwave of this summer coincided with an increase in mortality among older people in Switzerland, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office. Between June 22 and June 28, the number of deaths was approximately 15% higher than expected for that time of year.
However, it is not possible to attribute these deaths directly to heat. Determining the actual causes of death and confirming the link will likely not be possible until 2028. During the summer of 2015, excess mortality reached about 18%.
A studyExternal link led by Ana Maria Vicedo Cabrera estimates that heat caused 623 deaths in Switzerland between June and August 2022, one of the hottest years on record. Of these, 370 deaths could have been avoided in the absence of human-induced climate change.
Across the rest of Europe, the heat also had severe consequences for mortality. According to provisional data reported by The GuardianExternal link, the four heatwaves that struck this summer caused at least 35,000 deaths. In Germany, France and Spain alone, more than 25,000 deaths are estimated to have been attributable to high temperatures.
According to the World Health Organization, heat-related mortality in Europe has increased by 30% over the past 20 years.
In Myrivili’s view, issuing heat alerts is not enough. Authorities must ensure that information reaches older people living alone and that support networks are in place to contact them, assist them and accompany them to cooler locations.
“We need to be more ambitious in implementing more advanced measures that can reduce or mitigate heat exposure,” agrees Cabrera.
She adds that greater attention should also be paid to vulnerable groups that have so far received little consideration in prevention strategies, such as people with mental health disorders. As part of a research projectExternal link supported by the insurance company Mobiliar, her team is developing specific recommendations and guidelines to improve protection for this group during heatwaves.
A studyExternal link conducted in the canton of Bern found that the risk of hospital admission among people with mental health conditions rises significantly as temperatures increase. Research has also identified a correlation between heat and an increase in suicide ratesExternal link.
Changing habits during heatwaves
Adapting to heat is an issue for everyone, Cabrera stresses, which is why some daily habits will gradually need to be reconsidered, from the way buildings are insulated and cooled to travel patterns and the organisation of schedules and activities during the summer months.
The expert points to schools as an example. In several cantons, classes resume at the beginning of August, which this year coincided with a heatwave.
“We should ask ourselves whether it is appropriate to modify the school calendar,” she says.
Cabrera also highlights the need to strengthen protection for people who work outdoors. In her view, clearer rules are needed to determine when and under what conditions work can continue during heatwaves, along with closer monitoring of the health of workers who are most exposed to high temperatures. The city of Geneva’s heatwave action plan, for example, requires the suspension of outdoor activities that are directly exposed to sunlight from 1:00 p.m until sunset.
A national strategy to protect everyone from heat
Today, heat-protection measures vary considerably from one city and canton to another, depending on available resources and local political priorities.
Cabrera argues that the Swiss government should step in with a national strategy and provide clearer guidelines, greater resources and financial support that would enable cantons and municipalities to develop interventions tailored to the needs of their populations.
“Everyone should benefit from a minimum level of protection, regardless of where they live,” she says.
Similar demands are being made by the Swiss alliance “No 50-Degree Summers!External link”, which brings together around 70 organisations active in the fields of climate, health, environment and agriculture. The coalition is also calling for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors.
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‘Climate change is no longer a future threat’
Heatwaves and drought are also set to become increasingly prominent political issues. An urgent debate is expected during the autumn session of the Swiss parliament, which opens on September 14.
For Cabrera, this summer should serve as a wake-up call. “We must learn from what has happened and clearly recognise that climate change is no longer a future threat but a reality we are already facing,” she says.
“It is important not to forget the problem as soon as temperatures fall. Preparation for next summer must begin now.”
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Adapted from Italian. Edited by Gabe Bullard/VdV/ac
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