Six urgent parliamentary questions on the Hitzewelle and Dürre prompted a tense debate in Switzerland’s National Council, or Nationalrat. Lawmakers discussed water shortages in the Alps, forest damage, climate protection, infrastructure adaptation and faster permitting.
Environment Minister Albert Rösti said the government takes heat seriously and is pursuing decarbonization. He noted that not all measures fall under federal authority: cantons and municipalities, for example, oversee air-conditioning in care homes. Rösti opposed bans on oil heating and fossil-fuel vehicles even as he said the government’s strategy is to move away from fossil energy.
Susanne Vincent-Stauffacher, co-president of the Free Democratic Party, called for more electricity from renewable sources and nuclear energy, and for safe reactors to operate longer. Rösti backed new plants, arguing the construction ban should be lifted to avoid power shortages. A referendum will let voters decide.
The debate also covered the allocation of responsibilities, the pace of decarbonization, forest protection and the future energy mix. The federal Verkehr 45 project plans major mobility investment, and the government is preparing a report on Mobility Pricing. Lawmakers acknowledged the 2026 summer heat but disagreed on technology and adaptation measures.