From statistics to storylines – Climate protection as a societal project
Whether heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall or landslides – many extreme climate and weather events have been occurring more frequently and with greater intensity in recent years. They affect Switzerland particularly severely; since records began, the country has warmed at roughly twice the rate of the global average. Consequently, the challenges posed by this development are significant for Switzerland.
The National Centre of Competence in Research “NCCR CLIM+” (Climate Extremes and Society: Strengthening Resilience) addresses the societal risks of climate and weather extremes. It brings together 47 Swiss research groups from climate, political, and social sciences. Their aim goes beyond demonstrating physical cause and effect: They intend to enable viable solutions for effective climate protection and show how Switzerland can handle extreme events with greater resilience and crisis resistance in the future. The focus is on key sectors such as health, agriculture, water management, logistics, and finance.
The NCCR “CLIM+” is co-led by ETH Zurich and the University of Bern, with co-directors Sonia I. Seneviratne (ETH Zurich) and Karin Ingold (University of Bern). “The human induced global warming and associated climate crisis have wide ranging impacts on society. With extreme weather events projected to further increase in frequency and intensity in the coming decades, we must integrate physical and social sciences to best support our society’s transformation to a more resilient and safer future,” says Sonia Seneviratne, ETH Professor of Land–Climate Dynamics.
Methodologically, the researchers are breaking new ground: They do not derive societal impacts solely from climate-physical scenarios. Instead, they develop societal scenarios jointly with stakeholders from the field.