Assessing the impacts of climate change for Switzerland

Understanding the economic magnitude of climate change impacts is a prerequisite for developing adequate adaptation strategies. In Switzerland, despite new climate scenarios and impacts studies, only few impacts have been monetized. Our objective is to assess costs and opportunities of climate change for Switzerland by 2060, while enhancing the assessment methods. Using inputs from bottomup impact studies, we simulate the economic consequences of climate scenarios in a CGE framework. We cover health, buildings/infrastructure, energy, water, agriculture, tourism, the spill-overs to other sectors, and international effects. In 2060, welfare decreases by 0.30% to 1.03% relative to a reference without climate change. Higher summer temperatures increase mortality and decrease productivity. Contrariwise, tourism benefits from extended summer seasons. Regarding energy, increased demand for cooling is overcompensated by savings in heating. Due to data constraints, significant impacts have not been quantified, e.g. for heat waves and droughts more extreme than the 2060 average climate.