- Switzerland 2026
- Chapter 8
Systems in depth
One section per system: its state at evidence close, its exposures and what the operational series will watch.
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
- 7The 2027 agenda
- 8Systems in depth
- AMethodology
- BData appendix
- CReferences and record
- ·Complete edition, for print
8.1Water, the baseline system chapter
Switzerland is the source of Alpine rivers, and 2026 showed what a dry year does to them. Record-low rivers and lakes, thin groundwater monitoring and the absence of a national water law on measurement are the binding water risks. Drinking-water coverage is high.
| Component | State | Evidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low flows | one-fifth of stations at a record low; Rhine at Basel below summer 2003 in July | 1920 | Reported |
| Lakes | Lake Zurich lowest since 1951; Lake Constance 27 cm below the previous low | 20 | Reported |
| Coverage | 97% safely managed drinking water and 100% sanitation in 2024 | 23 | Reported |
| Groundwater | national storage series and cantonal monitoring not harmonised | 22 | NOT BOUND |
Couplings into other systems
- WAT → ENE hydropower
- CLI → WAT snow deficit and drought
- WAT → FOO pasture and irrigation
- WAT → HLT drinking water
Evidence to bind in 2027
- groundwater storage series
- cantonal monitoring on a common basis
8.2Energy, the baseline system chapter
Hydropower supplied 55.5% of domestic generation in 2025 and nuclear power 27.2%, and reservoirs ran low in the 2026 summer. All natural gas is imported. Winter balance and the import position were not bound.
| Component | State | Evidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power mix | hydropower 55.5%, nuclear 27.2%, photovoltaics 11.8% | 6 | Reported |
| Demand | 57,970 GWh final consumption, up 0.8% | 6 | Reported |
| Trade | imports 30,721 GWh and exports 30,700 GWh | 6 | Reported |
| Winter balance | seasonal import need and reserve status for 2026/27 not retrieved | 60 | NOT BOUND |
Couplings into other systems
- WAT → ENE hydropower
- ENE → FOO fuel and heating
- CLI → ENE peak demand
- BIO → ENE biomass
Evidence to bind in 2027
- winter import need
- reserve status for 2026/27
8.3Food and agrifood, the baseline system chapter
Swiss farms and pastures felt the 2026 drought, and the federal response was a loan package. The self-sufficiency rate was not bound at evidence close, and the contribution text sets a goal of at least 50% domestic production.
| Component | State | Evidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought aid | CHF 54 million in interest-free operating loans for farm businesses in 2026 | 33 | Reported |
| Forests | CHF 17.5 million more for forest funding in 2027, subject to Parliament | 33 | Reported |
| Goal | domestic production to cover at least 50% of food needs | 4 | Reported |
| Self-sufficiency | official rate for the latest year not retrieved | 57 | NOT BOUND |
Couplings into other systems
- WAT → FOO rain and irrigation
- ENE → FOO fuel and heating
- CLI → FOO heat and drought
Evidence to bind in 2027
- self-sufficiency rate
- 2026 harvest and fodder outcome
8.4Health and One Health, the baseline system chapter
Switzerland is an ageing country, and heat is a recorded cause of death in summer. Monitoring runs for the federal government, and a figure for the 2025 season was not bound at evidence close.
| Component | State | Evidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat 2024 | 326 deaths, 95% interval 171 to 471, Ticino particularly affected | 17 | Reported |
| Heat 2023 | 542 deaths, 95% interval 364 to 715 | 17 | Reported |
| Heat 2022 | 623 deaths in June to August, 3.5% of all deaths, by a separate study | 18 | Reported |
| Heat 2025 | season estimate not on the monitoring page | 17 | NOT BOUND |
Couplings into other systems
- CLI → HLT heat
- WAT → HLT drinking water
- ENE → HLT cooling and power
Evidence to bind in 2027
- heat deaths for 2025
- surge capacity in health services
8.5Biodiversity and ecosystems, the baseline system chapter
About a third of species and nearly half of habitat types are threatened, and forests face drought and dieback. Protected-area coverage of national territory was not bound at evidence close.
| Component | State | Evidence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | about a third of species threatened | 27 | Reported |
| Habitats | nearly half of habitat types threatened | 27 | Reported |
| Forest | 1.3 million hectares, just under a third of the country; 7% protected in 2022 | 25 | Reported |
| Dieback | dead trees 7.2% to 15.4% of trees by region, 2018–2022 interim | 26 | Reported |
| Protected area | share of national territory not retrieved | 58 | NOT BOUND |
Couplings into other systems
- BIO → WAT forest and watershed regulation
- BIO → FOO pollination and soils
- CLI → BIO drought and heat
Evidence to bind in 2027
- protected-area share of territory
- final forest inventory results
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
- 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
- 23UN-Water (ed.), SDG 6 data portal: Switzerland (safely managed drinking water 97% and sanitation 100% in 2024; water stress 6.5% in 2023). UN-Water, 2025. Observation year 2024. https://sdg6data.org/country-or-area/Switzerland, accessed 2026-11-03. The portal does not name the source agency for each indicator.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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 57UNVERIFIED, not opened: Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and Federal Statistical Office (eds.), Agrarbericht and food supply balance: self-sufficiency rate. Bern and Neuchâtel, 2025–2026. Observation year to be confirmed. Source that would fill the self-sufficiency gap; a press report of a 2023 gross rate was seen but not used.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
- 2Federal Statistical Office (ed.), provisional population results 2025 (permanent resident population 9,124,300; 1,811,000 aged 65 or over and 1,802,000 under 20), as reported by Keystone-SDA on swissinfo.ch, 2 April 2026. FSO, Neuchâtel, 2026. Observation year 2025. https://swissinfo.ch/eng/demographics/population-the-proportion-of-seniors-exceeds-that-of-young-people-in-switzerland/91200057, accessed 2026-11-03. Press report of the release; provisional figures.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
- 27FOEN (ed.), Biodiversity: state of biodiversity (about a third of species and nearly half of habitat types threatened). Swiss Confederation, Bern, page current February 2026. Observation year 2026. https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en/biodiversity, accessed 2026-11-03.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
- 26FOEN and WSL (eds.), Swiss National Forest Inventory, fifth survey (LFI5), interim results for survey years 2018–2022 (dead trees 7.2% to 15.4% of trees by region). Bern and Birmensdorf, 9 September 2024. Observation years 2018–2022. https://www.bafu.admin.ch/de/schweizerisches-landesforstinventar-lfi, accessed 2026-11-03.back
- 58UNVERIFIED, not opened: FOEN (ed.), Biodiversity indicators and action plan 2025–2030: protected areas as a share of national territory. FOEN, Bern, 2025. Observation year to be confirmed. Source that would fill the protected-area gap.back