Switzerland's biggest risks
Three hazards have been identified as the greatest risks facing Switzerland: power shortages, pandemics and mobile phone failure. This is according to the recently published Risk Report 2020 of the Confederation.
In the national risk analysis "Disasters and Emergencies Switzerland 2020" (NSC), a total of 44 hazards relevant to population protection were systematically analysed in terms of their possible extent of damage and their probability of occurrence or plausibility in order to determine the risk in question.
The biggest risks
According to the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP), the new national risk analysis identifies a prolonged power shortage in winter, an influenza pandemic and a mobile phone failure as the three greatest risks. All three hazards would harbour a high damage potential with a relatively high probability of occurrence. Compared with the 2015 risk analysis, the influenza pandemic scenario remained unchanged, with roughly the same frequency and the same extent of damage. According to the FOCP, the number of expected personal injuries in the power shortage scenario could be reduced due to the measures taken since 2015, but the economic impacts were estimated to be higher due to new findings. The failure of mobile communications, the third greatest risk, has been added to the catalogue of hazards.
In addition, a number of other possible catastrophes and emergencies were examined, which also pose a relatively high risk. The ten greatest risks are:
- Power shortage
- Flu pandemic
- Mobile radio failure
- Heatwave
- Earthquake
- Power outage
- Storm
- Computer center failure
- rush for protection
- Dryness
Working tool for politicians, the Confederation and the cantons
According to the FOCP, the national risk analysis "Disasters and Emergencies Switzerland" is an important basis for the systematic planning of measures to prepare for disasters and emergencies. Political decision-makers could use the risk diagrams to assess which risks they wanted to accept and which should be reduced. Federal agencies, the cantons and numerous communes would also use the findings and KNS products for their own disaster preparation. The KNS products would also be used for precautionary measures in the protection of critical infrastructures.
The risk report allows a transparent comparison of the risk potential of different events in the areas of nature, technology and society. The risk assessment of deliberately caused events such as attacks or cyber attacks was carried out in consultation with the Federal Intelligence Service, according to the report.
Further documents here
