After record-breaking temperatures and extreme drought that hit Switzerland during the summer of 2026, the government vowed to look into measures to mitigate these effects of climate change. So what specific strategies did it decide on?
On October 28th, the Federal Council set out objectives and defined key measures aimed at limiting the risks associated with climate change in Switzerland.
Furthermore, it “reached decisions concerning heat monitoring and the protection of human and animal health,” the government said. “The objective is to enhance the adaptive capacity of the environment, society, and the economy.”
The strategy is based on the climate risk analysis from the Federal Office for the Environment, as well as the climate scenarios from the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich (ETH) and MeteoSchweiz weather service.
All the proposed measures will be enacted within the framework of the government’s Adapt+ programme, established specifically to provide funding at the grassroots level to help prevent damage to people, buildings, infrastructure, and environment caused by climate change.
They target cantonal and municipal projects such as, for example, adding greenery to public spaces, creating more shaded areas in city centres, or using water more efficiently, among others.
“Following the exceptionally hot and dry summer of 2026, the Federal Council tasked the Federal Department of the Environment with examining how to refine the Adapt+ programme – in terms of both finance and organisation – to allow for a more flexible response to the consequences of climate change,” the government said.
So what other measures will Switzerland implement?
New national heat maps and extreme-event scenarios
These maps, to be developed by MeteoSchweiz meteorological institute, will illustrate the extent to which residential areas—in both urban and rural settings—critical infrastructure, and agricultural and forests are affected.
“The maps are intended to enable a consistent assessment of the situation, facilitate the issuance of more targeted alerts, and support the planning of protective and adaptive measures,” the Federal Council explained, “In addition, disaster scenarios will highlight both current and future extreme heatwave events. The underlying information and data will be freely accessible via a public heatwave dashboard.”
Further improvement of the federal drought platform
Though it already provides early warning and continuous assessment of the drought situation, “the platform will be further developed,” the government said.
“Existing information will be supplemented to highlight the repercussions of the drought on the different sectors.”
Skills centre
In order to further strengthen the protection of the population against the health risks linked to heatwaves and climate change, the Federal Office of Public Health will set up a ‘skills centre’, which will ensure coordination and health monitoring to observe the effectiveness of adaptation measures.
Special focus on agriculture
Given the serious consequences of the drought for agriculture, particular focus is being placed on alpine farming—specifically regarding the infrastructure required for transporting water and the granting of permits for water reservoirs.
The government “should make better use of its available scope for action to accelerate and simplify permit procedures for access routes and water reservoirs.”
The Federal Council therefore proposes the adoption of two motions to this effect that are currently before the Parliament.
Protection of workers exposed to heat
The government said that “practical solutions are needed for activities exposed to heat, particularly in the construction sector.”
To that end, potential amendments to labour law have been discussed, but no agreement has yet been reached.
The Federal Department of Home Affairs and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs have therefore been tasked with reaching a consensus on the introduction of minimum health protection requirements for the construction sector.
Animal health and food safety
The government will fund additional research projects into the development of early-warning systems and risk maps concerning animal health and welfare, diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks, and the impact of heatwaves and drought on the microbiological and chemical safety of the food supply chain.
