- Switzerland 2026
- Chapter 6
Readings from the other desks
The baseline is read through each steward’s lens, then once as a whole. Each lens is a projection of reviewed findings, not a separate argument. The other desks’ own editions of this subject are listed first, as cross-references, not copies.
Contents
- ·Edition home
- ·Executive summary
- 1Switzerland’s risk starts in the mountains and runs through water
- 2Key findings
- 3Systems and sectors at baseline
- 4Risks and capability
- 5Dry year with low reservoirs and low river flows
- 6Readings from the other desks
- 6.1 The other desks’ editions of this subject
- 6.2 Three lenses
- 6.3 Standards, Academy and steward contributions
- 6.4 GCRI reading: the model card
- 6.5 Global Risks Forum reading: editorial essays
- 6.6 Global Risks Alliance reading: q1 2027 readiness pack
- 6.7 Nexus Standards reading: standards and regulatory watch
- 6.8 Risk Academy reading: literature and evidence review, science and assessments
- 7The 2027 agenda
- 8Systems in depth
- AMethodology
- BData appendix
- CReferences and record
- ·Complete edition, for print
6.1The other desks’ editions of this subject
Federation: each desk writes its own edition for the subjects in its remit. Until a desk releases, its edition shows its frame and the reading this edition printed for it.
| Desk | Edition | State | Identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCRI Systems Evidence | No edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycle | Not in this cycle | |
| GRF Public Deliberation | No edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycle | Not in this cycle | |
| GRA Capital Readiness | No edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycle | Not in this cycle | |
| Standards Progress | Outside this desk’s remit | Not in remit | |
| Academy Capability | Outside this desk’s remit | Not in remit | |
| Index Measurement | No edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycle | Not in this cycle |
6.2Three lenses
One edition, read by each steward. The lens of this site comes first.
GCRI · KEY T
Technical Truth
The evidence supports a coupled reading of Switzerland’s risk: Alpine ice and snow set the water, power and slope hazards together, and public finances are strong. Evidence is strongest for emissions, electricity and the Blatten event, and weakest for food self-sufficiency, groundwater storage and lifeline continuity.
CLI-001 · ENE-004 · WAT-005 · SYS-012
GRF · KEY M
Public Meaning
For most people risk arrives as a dry summer, a hot week or a closed road. The baseline asks that public debate weigh how age and place change who carries a heatwave or a slope failure.
HLT-009 · CLI-007 · CLI-008
GRA · KEY F
Capital Meaning
Readiness implications only. Insured hazard losses sit with a private pool, and the IMF frames fiscal room1628. These show where finance-readiness evidence will matter. Nothing here is advice, a rating or a recommendation.
FIN-010 · CLI-007
NEXUS
Synthesis
Switzerland holds long weather, glacier and energy records, and thinner evidence on groundwater, reserves and service continuity. The 2027 programme should test the dry-year, reservoir and winter chain, bind a heat-mortality series for 2025 and bind the self-sufficiency rate.
SYS-012 · A-01 · A-02
6.3Standards, Academy and steward contributions
How the Nexus Standards drafts, the Risk Academy and the three stewards feed each quarterly edition for Switzerland. The standards are preparatory working drafts (October 2026) and are cited as drafts, never as adopted standards.
| Quarter | Edition | Question | Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | State and Agenda | What matters this year, and what is the starting position? | observed baseline stays distinct from planned work |
| Q2 | Evidence and Build | What new evidence and capability have been developed? | a configured capability is not a validated result |
| Q3 | Stress Test and Readiness | What do scenarios and tests reveal? | simulated loss or performance is not observed impact |
| Q4 | Annual Synthesis and Renewal | What did the year establish, and what changes next? | release follows review, not event publicity deadlines |
| Steward or body | Role | Contribution route |
|---|---|---|
| The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI Canada) | Lead Institution and Consortium Secretariat; publisher of record; technical truth (key T) | science and practice communities · GCRI gateway |
| The Global Risks Forum (GRF) | leadership, dialogue and the Universe programme; public meaning (key M) | policy, Universe and national adoption · GRF gateway |
| The Global Risks Alliance (GRA) | finance, insurance and development readiness; capital meaning (key F) | finance and insurance · GRA gateway |
| Nexus Standards | preparatory drafts on vocabulary, hazards, indicators and methods | Standards site · working groups HAZ, IND, MTH, FIN, AI |
| Risk Academy | learning pathways tied to the agenda questions | Academy gateway · learning by review |
| Switzerland | national pathway: Desk, Leadership Council, Consortium, Working Groups | national Commons room |
Standards drafts used in this edition
- Risk vocabulary NRS-C1 (424 terms) for terms in the glossary
- Hazard atlas NHS-1 1.1.0 (905 hazards in 120 families) for risk objects
- Seven risk classes: global, catastrophic, existential, emerging, planetary, exponential, frontier-tech
Standards calendar to watch
- Founding calls from 20 October 2026; working groups meet from 5 November 2026
- Inaugural Global Standards Council session, 12 January 2027
- Quarterly reviews in March, June, September and December, aligned with each edition
6.4GCRI reading: the model card
GCRI’s reading of this edition is its model card: what the national model is, what it computes and where it stops. It is printed in full in Annex A, with the methods it belongs to. Annex A, methodology
6.5Global Risks Forum reading: editorial essays
Four signed essays by the Reports editorial team set out the positions this edition takes. They are interpretation, labelled as such; the evidence they draw on is in the findings register.
Switzerland’s water, power and slope hazards trace back to the same snow and glaciers. The baseline treats drought, hydropower and glacier loss as one coupled problem, not as separate sector issues.
EDITORIAL ESSAY · 01
Ice and snow set the whole system
A glacier too small to appear in most statistics buried most of a village in a day. Planning for slow warming without sudden slope failure leaves a gap.
EDITORIAL ESSAY · 02
A village shows what a warming slope can do
Hydropower and nuclear power carry most generation, and reservoirs ran low in the 2026 summer. Winter imports and storage are the evidence still missing.
EDITORIAL ESSAY · 03
Electricity is a winter question
Older residents now outnumber the young, and heat deaths are monitored each summer. Every risk object in this edition is read through that lens.
EDITORIAL ESSAY · 04
Age sets the size of the buffer
6.6Global Risks Alliance reading: q1 2027 readiness pack
The registers that open the first operational quarter. At baseline each is initialised from this edition.
| Item | Register | State at baseline | First Q1 2027 entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | National risk state delta | baseline set by this edition | changes against the baseline |
| E2 | WEFH+B state delta | five system readings set | indicator updates and freshness |
| E3 | Agenda and Portfolio movement | eight agenda items · 7 proposed objects | admission decisions |
| E4 | NWG delivery register | no groups yet | first monthly outputs |
| E5 | NNC capability register | membership opens in Q1 2027 | first contributions |
| E6 | NLC questions and challenges | none yet | first challenge log |
| E7 | Foundry technical state | environment prepared | first sealed cut |
| E8 | Publication candidates | twelve findings carried forward | PUBLISH · HOLD dispositions |
| E9 | Universe readiness | one candidate mission | admission and role spine |
| E10 | Correction register | none | first correction cycle |
Publication dispositions
- Publish
- Hold
- Needs evidence
- Restricted
- Superseded
6.7Nexus Standards reading: standards and regulatory watch
Instruments that shape the systems in this edition, by status on the retrieval date. The edition assesses no one’s compliance.
- IN FORCE
- ADOPTED
- SUBMITTED
- UNDER REVIEW
- PUBLISHED · VOLUNTARY
| Instrument | Body | Scope | Status | Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Agreement · second contribution, at least 65% below 1990 by 2035 as a 106.8 MtCO₂e budget for 2031–2035449 | UNFCCC · Switzerland | national | SUBMITTED 2025 | emissions pathway |
| Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security (SR 814.310)38 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE 2025 | climate governance |
| CO₂ Act (SR 641.71)39 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE · REVISION STATUS NOT VERIFIED | emissions measures |
| Electricity supply act adopted by popular vote on 9 June 202440 | Confederation | national | ADOPTED 2024 · NOT VERIFIED | renewable electricity |
| Nuclear Energy Act (SR 732.1) and the proposal to lift the ban on new plants4161 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE · AMENDMENT PENDING | power mix |
| Water Protection Act (SR 814.20)42 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE | water quality |
| Forest Act (SR 921.0)43 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE | forest protection |
| Nature and Heritage Protection Act (SR 451)44 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE | biodiversity |
| Hydraulic Engineering Act (SR 721.100)45 | Confederation | national | IN FORCE | flood protection |
| Long-Term Climate Strategy 205059 | Federal Council | national | PUBLISHED 2021 · NOT VERIFIED | net-zero pathway |
| Kunming-Montreal Framework48 | CBD | international | ADOPTED 2022 | 30by30 |
| Sendai Framework47 | UNDRR | international | ADOPTED 2015 | disaster risk reduction |
Changed since 2024
- The Federal Council signed the electricity agreement with the European Union on 2 March 2026 and sent its dispatch to Parliament in March 202610
- The Federal Council adopted a 2026–2031 adaptation strategy on 28 October 2026, after evidence close32
- The national risk analysis was updated in 2026 with 44 hazard dossiers24
6.8Risk Academy reading: literature and evidence review, science and assessments
The review behind this edition covers peer-reviewed science, national and international assessments and the institutional reports that bind its findings. Full systematic reviews begin in Q1 2027 for each agenda item.
Review protocol
- Question
- What does the published evidence establish about Switzerland’s coupled water, energy, food, health and biodiversity risks?
- Sources searched
- peer-reviewed literature; national and international assessments; official releases; industry loss data
- Window
- releases available at evidence close, 30 September 2026
- Selection
- sources that bind or contextualise a finding in this edition
- Next step
- systematic reviews for agenda items A-01 to A-05 in Q1 2027
| Reference | Type | Year | Role | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee and Romero (eds.)46 | assessment | 2023 | context | forcing |
| McElwee et al. (eds.)50 | assessment | 2024 | framework | nexus interlinkages |
| Zscheischler et al.51 | journal article | 2018 | framework | compound events |
| WMO and ECMWF European report35 | assessment | 2026 | supports | regional extremes |
| Vicedo-Cabrera et al.18 | journal article | 2023 | supports | heat deaths |
| Foundational Edition52 | Reports | 2026 | framework | method |
| Global baseline53 | Reports | 2026 | framework | global anchor |
| Reference | Issuer | Year | Role | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second contribution4 | UNFCCC | 2025 | supports | targets |
| Climate Action Tracker assessment5 | Climate Action Tracker | 2025 | context | ambition |
| Article IV press release28 | IMF | 2026 | context | fiscal |
| Energy policy review60 | IEA | 2023 | context | energy |
| Climate risk analysis62 | FOEN | 2025 | context | risk |
| Forest Report25 | FOEN and WSL | 2025 | supports | forests |
| Reference | Issuer | Year | Role | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population release1 | Federal Statistical Office | 2025 | supports | profile |
| Emissions release3 | FOEN | 2024 | supports | emissions |
| Energy statistics6 | SFOE | 2025 | supports | power |
| National risk analysis24 | Federal Office for Civil Protection | 2025 | supports | hazards |
| Heat monitoring17 | Swiss TPH for the federal government | 2024 | supports | health |
| Reference | Issuer | Year | Role | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier collapse fact sheet14 | ETH Zurich VAW | 2025 | supports | slope hazard |
| Drought coverage192022 | FOEN and SLF as reported | 2026 | supports | water |
| Reservoir reports89 | SFOE as reported | 2026 | supports | power |
| Insured loss report16 | insurers’ pool as reported | 2026 | supports | finance |
Where the evidence agrees
Notes
Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references
- 16Insurers’ natural hazard pool (ed.), annual financial statements: Blatten landslide, total insured damage CHF 255 million (CHF 240 million within the pool; more than 80% of insured sums for total losses paid after four months), as reported by swissinfo.ch, 26 May 2026. Observation year 2025. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/various/blatten-landslide-caused-damage-totalling-255-million-francs/91473640, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report of pool statements.back
- 28International Monetary Fund (ed.), Press Release No. 26/281: IMF Executive Board concludes 2026 Article IV consultation with Switzerland (2025 growth 1.4% unadjusted; inflation 0.2%; current account 6.4% of GDP). IMF, Washington, DC, 1 September 2026. Observation year 2025. https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/09/01/pr26281-switzerland-imf-executive-board-concludes-2026-article-iv-consultation, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 4Switzerland (ed.), Switzerland’s second nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement 2031–2035. Federal Office for the Environment for the UNFCCC, Bern, January 2025. Observation years 2022–2035. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/2025-01/Switzerland%20second%20NDC%202031-2035.pdf, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 49UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNFCCC (ed.), Paris Agreement. United Nations, Paris, 2015. Observation year 2015. From memory.back
- 38UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security (Climate and Innovation Act), SR 814.310. Fedlex, Bern, adopted 30 September 2022; in force 1 January 2025 per [4]. Observation year 2022. Bibliographic details from memory; check against the Fedlex text.back
- 39UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on the Reduction of CO₂ Emissions (CO₂ Act), SR 641.71, as revised for the period to 2030. Fedlex, Bern, 2011 and later revisions. Observation year 2024. Bibliographic details from memory; revision status not verified.back
- 40UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on a Secure Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Sources, accepted in the popular vote of 9 June 2024. Fedlex, Bern, 2024. Observation year 2024. Date and vote from search results only; the SFOE page opened gave no result figure.back
- 41UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Nuclear Energy Act, SR 732.1. Fedlex, Bern, 2003 and later amendments. Observation year 2003. Bibliographic details from memory.back
- 61UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Parliament (ed.), proceedings on the counter-proposal to the “Blackout stoppen” initiative and the lifting of the ban on new nuclear plants, 2026. Bern, 2026. Observation year 2026. Press reports seen in search results conflicted on the latest vote; no status is asserted.back
- 42UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on the Protection of Waters (Water Protection Act), SR 814.20. Fedlex, Bern, 1991. Observation year 1991. Bibliographic details from memory.back
- 43UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on Forest (Forest Act), SR 921.0. Fedlex, Bern, 1991. Observation year 1991. Bibliographic details from memory.back
- 44UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage, SR 451. Fedlex, Bern, 1966. Observation year 1966. Bibliographic details from memory.back
- 45UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Confederation (ed.), Federal Act on Hydraulic Engineering, SR 721.100. Fedlex, Bern, 1991. Observation year 1991. Bibliographic details from memory.back
- 59UNVERIFIED, not opened: Swiss Federal Council (ed.), Switzerland’s Long-Term Climate Strategy 2050. Swiss Confederation, Bern, 2021. Observation year 2021. From memory.back
- 48UNVERIFIED, not opened: Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022. Observation year 2022. From memory.back
- 47UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNDRR (ed.), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. UNDRR, Geneva, 2015. Observation year 2015. From memory.back
- 10Swiss Federal Office of Energy (ed.), Electricity agreement Switzerland–EU (signed 2 March 2026; dispatch to Parliament March 2026). SFOE, Bern, 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.bfe.admin.ch/en/electricity-agreement-switzerland-eu, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 32POST-CLOSE, context only: Federal Council (ed.), “Le Conseil fédéral adopte la nouvelle stratégie d’adaptation et des mesures relatives à la canicule et à la sécheresse” (strategy 2026–2031; 30 areas of action; 56 measures). Swiss Confederation, Bern, 28 October 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.admin.ch/fr/newnsb/fb6zlfWM0Cst, accessed 2026-11-03. Published after evidence close.back
- 24Federal Office for Civil Protection (BABS) (ed.), Katastrophen und Notlagen Schweiz 2025: Bericht zur nationalen Risikoanalyse (KNS 2025; 44 hazard dossiers; pandemic and prolonged power shortage the largest risks). BABS, Bern, February 2026. Observation year 2025. https://www.babs.admin.ch/dam/de/sd-web/PpZZg4eroKXo/KNS-2025-Risikobericht-final_de.pdf, accessed 2026-11-03. Report read in part (summary and results chapter).back
- 34A. Rösti, head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, interview statements on the 2030 climate target and a new CO₂ Act for 2030 to 2040, as reported by blue News, 6 August 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/rosti-switzerland-will-likely-not-meet-its-2030-climate-target-li.3553896, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report of a ministerial statement.back
- 33Federal Council (ed.), drought and heat aid package (CHF 54 million in interest-free operating loans for farm businesses in 2026; CHF 17.5 million more for forests in 2027), as reported by Keystone-SDA on blue News, 26 August 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/federal-council-puts-together-a-multi-million-aid-package-to-combat-drought-and-heat-li.3576293, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report; Parliament decides on the funding.back
- 46UNVERIFIED, not opened: H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.), Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. IPCC, Geneva, 2023. Observation year 2023. From memory.back
- 50UNVERIFIED, not opened: P. D. McElwee, P. A. Harrison, T. L. van Huysen et al. (eds.), Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, 2024. Observation year 2024. From memory.back
- 51UNVERIFIED, not opened: J. Zscheischler, S. Westra, B. J. J. M. van den Hurk et al., “Future climate risk from compound events,” Nature Climate Change, vol. 8, pp. 469–477, 2018. Observation year 2018. From memory.back
- 35World Meteorological Organization and ECMWF Copernicus (eds.), European State of the Climate 2025 (Europe the fastest-warming continent; net glacier mass loss in all European regions), press release of 29 April 2026. WMO, Geneva, 2026. Observation year 2025. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/european-state-of-climate-2025-record-heatwaves-from-mediterranean-arctic-while-glaciers-shrink-and, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 18A. M. Vicedo-Cabrera, E. de Schrijver, D. L. Schumacher, M. S. Ragettli, E. M. Fischer and S. I. Seneviratne, heat-related mortality in Switzerland, summer 2022 (623 deaths, 3.5% of deaths; about 60% attributable to human-induced warming), Environmental Research Letters, 2023, as summarised in a University of Bern release, 4 July 2023. Observation year 2022. https://mediarelations.unibe.ch/media_releases/2023/media_releases_2023/global_warming_caused_60_percent_of_swiss_heat_deaths_in_the_summer_of_2022/index_eng.html, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 52S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Reports: The Foundational Edition, Volumes I and II. Reports series, Edition 2026–2030, V1.0. GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto, 2026.back
- 53S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Global Systems Risk & Resilience Report 2026: Baseline Edition. GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto, 2026.back
- 5Climate Action Tracker (ed.), Switzerland: 2035 NDC assessment (rating insufficient; share of the target met abroad not disclosed; submission on 29 January 2025). Climate Analytics and NewClimate Institute, February 2025. Observation year 2025. https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/switzerland/2035-ndc/, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 60UNVERIFIED, not opened: International Energy Agency (ed.), Switzerland 2023 Energy Policy Review. IEA, Paris, 2023. Observation year 2023. From memory. Source for the winter import and flexibility context.back
- 62UNVERIFIED, not opened: FOEN (ed.), Climate Risk Analysis for Switzerland (UW-2502-E). FOEN, Bern, 2025. Observation year 2025. Named in search results only; used as context for the 2026–2031 adaptation strategy.back
- 25FOEN and WSL (eds.), Forest Report 2025: Development, Condition and Use of Swiss Forests (1.3 million hectares; 7% of forest area protected by 2022; goal of 10% by 2030). FOEN and WSL, Bern and Birmensdorf, 2025. Observation year 2022. https://www.bafu.admin.ch/dam/en/sd-web/VL0obw1MJTg3/waldbericht_2025.pdf, accessed 2026-11-03. Synthesis chapter read.back
- 1Federal Council (ed.), “Population growth slowed slightly in 2025”, release on final STATPOP results of the Federal Statistical Office (permanent resident population 9,127,100 on 31 December 2025, up 0.8%). Swiss Confederation, Neuchâtel, 20 August 2026. Observation year 2025. https://www.admin.ch/en/newnsb/eHho7S2A2revQdhyPSYmt, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 3Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) (ed.), “Inventaire des gaz à effet de serre pour l’année 2024: légère baisse des émissions” (40.1 MtCO₂e, 27.3% below 1990; buildings 8.8, industry 8.9, transport 13.4 MtCO₂e; international aviation and maritime 5.5 MtCO₂e). Swiss Confederation, Bern, 13 April 2026. Observation year 2024. https://www.admin.ch/fr/newnsb/0x0fdVaborNCilTCosvky, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 6Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) (ed.), Energy Consumption in Switzerland 2025, extract from the Swiss Overall Energy Statistics 2025 (ENSTAT). SFOE, Bern, June 2026. Observation year 2025. https://pubdb.bfe.admin.ch/en/publication/download/12648, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 17Swiss TPH (ed.), HiMOMO: Monitoring heat-related deaths (542 deaths May to September 2023, 95% interval 364 to 715; 326 deaths May to September 2024, 95% interval 171 to 471). Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, for the Federal Office for the Environment, 2023–2026. Observation years 2023–2024. https://www.swisstph.ch/en/projects/project-detail/project/monitoring-heat-related-deaths, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 14D. Farinotti, M. Huss, M. Jacquemart and M. Werder (eds.), Fact sheet for the now-collapsed Birchgletscher, Switzerland, document 88028-VAW-2025-06. VAW, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 2 June 2025. Observation year 2025. https://raonline.ch/pages/edu/pdfNW/VAW_BirchgletscherFS2025.pdf, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 19FOEN (ed.), statement to Keystone-SDA on drought: historic lows at eleven stations in July 2026; about one-fifth of stations at a record low for the period from 1 April to 31 July. Published by blue News, 13 August 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/drought-causes-swiss-water-levels-to-drop-to-record-lows-li.3561545, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report of a federal statement.back
- 20L. Jorio (ed.), “Drought in Switzerland: Europe’s water tower runs dry” (Lake Zurich lowest since records began in 1951 on 19 August 2026; Lake Constance 394.97 m on 11 August, 27 cm below the previous 1991–2020 low; Rhine at Basel in July below summer 2003). swissinfo.ch, 21 August 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/drought-in-switzerland-europes-water-tower-runs-dry/91913797, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report; FOEN is the cited data source.back
- 22K. F. Brandt and S. Pasino (eds.), “How much water is left under Switzerland? Nobody can say yet” (more than 80% of drinking water from larger underground sources; 42 monitored springs; whole country at the highest drought danger level on 6 August 2026). swissinfo.ch, 24 August 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-solutions/how-much-water-is-left-under-switzerland-nobody-can-say-yet/91915172, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report; the federal environment office is the cited source.back
- 8SRF and swissinfo.ch (eds.), “Swiss reservoir water levels lowest in 20 years” (46% full, 16.4 points below the 20-year average, per the SFOE weekly report; reservoirs cover about 20% of winter-half demand). swissinfo.ch, 17 July 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/swiss-reservoir-water-levels-lowest-in-20-years/91760665, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report of SFOE figures.back
- 9Keystone-SDA (ed.), “Swiss reservoirs, which are relatively low, must hope for a wet autumn” (42.7% full, 15.1 points below the 20-year average per the SFOE; Valais holds about 45% of storage). swissinfo.ch, 9 July 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/swiss-reservoirs-which-are-relatively-low-must-hope-for-a-wet-autumn/91724015, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report of SFOE figures.back
- 11Federal Council (ed.), “Climate change particularly pronounced in Switzerland”, release on the Swiss Climate Scenarios CH2025 with MeteoSwiss and ETH Zurich (about +4.9 °C locally at 3 °C global warming; summer drought 44% more intense; zero-degree line up 550 m). Swiss Confederation, Bern, 4 November 2025. Observation year 2025. https://www.admin.ch/de/newnsb/COnEkDbkoyff3Q632k9kk, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 13ETH Zurich (ed.), Swiss glaciers lost almost 3% of their volume in 2025 and about a quarter since 2015 (GLAMOS monitoring, Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation), as published by ScienceDaily, 2 October 2025. ETH Zurich, 2025. Observation year 2025. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251001092211.htm, accessed 2026-11-03.back
