Swiss government adopts plan to tackle heat and drought risks
Wednesday 28th October 2026 on 17:45 in
Switzerland
Switzerland’s Federal Council has adopted a climate adaptation strategy and action plan after the 2026 heatwave, setting out 56 measures for 2026 to 2031. SRF reported that the government also approved additional steps to address heat and drought.
The plan covers 30 areas of action and sets federal priorities for adapting to climate change. It is based on a 2025 climate risk analysis by the Federal Office for the Environment and climate scenarios from MeteoSwiss and ETH Zurich. Protecting people from heat and managing water during drought are central priorities.
The Federal Office of Public Health will establish a centre to coordinate efforts to protect the public from health risks linked to heat and climate change. It will also set up monitoring to assess the effectiveness of adaptation measures, including improved tracking of heat-related deaths and hospital admissions. The government plans to develop risk-based monitoring for cooling towers and other water facilities where Legionella bacteria may pose a risk.
The government will invite construction industry social partners to discuss minimum health protections for workers after earlier talks on working in hot weather failed to reach agreement. It will also fund additional research into animal health and food safety.
The federal drought platform, which has operated since 2025, will be expanded to show effects on individual economic sectors. MeteoSwiss will develop new national heat maps and extreme-weather scenarios. The platform’s development is expected to require 2.1 million francs, to be requested in the next financial planning period for 2029. Additional tasks in the Federal Department of Home Affairs are expected to cost 4.4 million francs from 2027 and 3 million francs a year from 2030.
In August, the Federal Council proposed increasing a loan for Switzerland’s forests by 17.5 million francs and adding 54 million francs to this year’s operating assistance for farmers. The interest-free loans are intended to help farmers manage cash-flow problems caused by drought.