Climate change particularly pronounced in Switzerland

Bern, 04.11.2025 — Switzerland will become drier and hotter, experience less snow and face heavier rainfall in the future. Those are the conclusions reached by climate researchers from its Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) and ETH Zurich. On 4 November 2025, at an event attended by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, they presented the new climate scenarios for Switzerland, which form the basis for the Federal Council's strategy on adaptation to climate change.

Tropical nights disrupting the sleep of those living in cities, vegetable farmers struggling with overly dry soil, and homeowners preparing for impending floods – that is the future we can expect if climate change continues unchecked, based on the results of the new Swiss climate scenarios. Many of the impacts can already be felt and measured today. “The new climate scenarios give us a clearer picture of changes in Switzerland's climate in the decades ahead. They help us to assess developments and to plan appropriate measures, with a view to protecting our environment, cities and agriculture,” said Ms Baume-Schneider at the presentation.

The four main changes in the climate scenarios

Commissioned by the Swiss federal government and compiled by MeteoSwiss, the new scenarios build on the results of the 2018 climate scenarios. They confirm and expand on the picture that had already emerged regarding climate change in Switzerland. The warming in Switzerland until now (2024: 2.9 °C up on pre-industrial levels) is above the global average (2024: up 1.3 °C). Aspects of climate change are proving more pronounced for Switzerland than the mean situation worldwide, partly due to the country's geographical location. In an overall global warming scenario of 3 °C, the temperature in Switzerland is expected to rise significantly more than that, by around 4.9 °C.