Swiss Federal Council faces scrutiny over heatwave response

Following a severe summer of extreme heat and drought in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Council faces intense scrutiny from the National Council and political parties regarding its climate response. The Green Party has demanded urgent answers on how the government intends to address increasing heat and dryness, criticizing the current administration for a perceived lack of decisive action and a failure to set clear deadlines for phasing out fossil fuels.

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti is scheduled to address the National Council to outline future measures against extreme weather. Recent data indicates the summer heat may have caused approximately 570 additional deaths among individuals over 65 and 40 deaths among those under 65. The agricultural and forestry sectors have also suffered significant impacts due to water shortages and heat stress.

In response, the Federal Council has provided targeted financial aid, including 54 million Swiss francs for agriculture and 17.5 million for forestry. The government is currently developing a revised climate change adaptation strategy, an action plan for 2026–2031 to mitigate heat-related burdens, and a national water management strategy focused on water storage and retention.