The recurrent heat waves and extreme drought of the summer 2026 were dominant topics in the media. Journalists frequently turned to our researchers for expert information on a wide range of issues, including among others:
- The heat’s health effects: Ana Vicedo (Climate Epidemiology and Public Health group)
- Urban climate: Moritz Gubler and Moritz Burger (Climatology group)
- Political shortcomings in climate action: Thomas Frölicher (Ocean Modelling group) and Heinz Wanner (emeritus, Climatology group)
- Unusually high temperatures in the Aare River: Stefan Brönnimann (Climatology group) and Christian Pfister (emeritus, Environmental History and Historical Climatology group)
- The need for more systematic water management: Bettina Schaefli (Hydrology group)
- Heat-resilient energy systems: Doina Radulescu (Climate Economics group)
Also, in two articles in the newspaper “Der Bund”, OCCR Director Martin Grosjean criticizes the lack of sustainable Alpine tourism and Switzerland's continued absence from the European Union's Earth Copernicus observation programme, respectively.
Again, in “Der Bund”, Laura Mai, the new endowed professor for Climate Law and Society, explains why lawsuits against large corporations are an important avenue for climate action — while also emphasizing that litigation has its limits.
Christoph Schwörer (Paleogenomics and Vegetation Modelling group), and Sina Aregger and Willy Tinner (Paleoecology group) talked about their lake drilling campaigns in the French news outlet “8 Mont Blanc” and the “Swiss Radio and Television SRF”, respectively.
You can find all articles in our Media Coverage section. Please note that most articles in our media review are in German. Some may be hidden behind paywalls.
