Guest Blog

The Alps are being increasingly affected by floods and droughts. According to Manuela Brunner, we can do something about this problem: use water more sparingly and think about hazard protection in broader terms. Switzerland is known as Europe’s water reservoir – a reliable supplier of fresh water that flows steadily from Alpine sources, even when it is scarce elsewhere. This image is now being severely threatened by climate change. Extreme events such as floods and droughts are becoming more frequent, thereby exacerbating water stress. The last few years have illustrated impressively how rarely hydrological conditions have been just right or normal. On the contrary, we have had to struggle with either too little water as a result of too little snow in winter and too little rain in summer, or with too much water in the form of heavy precipitation and floods. Winters With Little Snow Favor Dry Summers Droughts and...