Climate change will heat Switzerland swiftly says Swiss scientific report |
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Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:13
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GENEVA (AFX) - Switzerland will suffer regular heatwaves and drought by 2050 as average temperatures rise swiftly and disrupt living patterns in Europe, a report for Swiss authorities predicted.The scientific report commissioned by the Interior and Environment ministries forecast that average temperatures would rise by at least 2.0 degrees Celsius in summer and 3.0 degrees C in winter by 2050.These Swiss estimates are in the middle of the range of new global average temperatures for the end of the century forecast by a panel of UN climate change scientists, but are expected to occur earlier.Rainfall in Switzerland will drop by about one-fifth during summer by the middle of the century, sharply reducing water availability through to the autumn and agriculture and power supplies would also be affected, the report by the Swiss ministerial consultative body on climate change said.The scientists who produced the study also voiced concern about the likelihood that tropical diseases would have a growing impact on public health with the hotter summers.By contrast, rainfall will increase by 10 pct in winter and is likely to be concentrated in heavier rain or snowfalls, the Swiss panel said.The changing climate would also disrupt the country's core winter tourism industry, according to the report.The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in January that fossil fuel pollution would raise world temperatures, worsen floods, droughts and hurricanes, melt polar ice and damage the climate system for a thousand years to come.Concerns about climate change have been heightened in Switzerland by noticeable changes in summer and winter weather patterns in recent years, especially during the record mild winter that has just ended.newsdesk@afxnews.comafp/ambCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited
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