Zurich – CLIMADA and Resilens have presented the first climate risk analysis for the hospital network of the Canton of Zurich. The two companies, which focus on climate risks and climate adaptation, show why heat is increasingly becoming a systemic risk for hospitals and how this can be dealt with in an economically sensible way.
(CONNECT) CLIMADA Technologies and Resilens analyzed 39 locations with around 43,100 employees and 13,300 patients in the study entitled Hospitals under heat stress. The aim of this first comprehensive risk analysis is to provide an evidence-based decision-making basis for investments in heat protection. "The real challenge is not just the heat itself, but the dynamics behind it: a shifting climate system that multiplies burdens and pushes existing structures to their limits," Sebastian Glink, co-CEO and co-founder of Technopark Zurich-based CLIMADA, is quoted as saying. "Our analyses make this development visible, quantify it on a site-specific basis and clearly show how the effects can be limited through targeted adaptation."
The comparative risk analysis is based on a multi-factor model of climatic hazard, exposure and structural vulnerability. It shows that the hottest locations are not automatically the ones with the most urgent need for action. The Zurich Children's Hospital, for example, has a comparatively moderate overall risk despite the high risk because the new building, which will be completed in 2025, has optimal thermal building properties according to the analysis.
The study lists large acute hospitals such as the University Hospital Zurich, the Cantonal Hospital Winterthur and the City Hospital Zurich Triemli among the locations with a particularly high priority need for adaptation. The analysis compares seven adaptation measures on the basis of their five-year benefit-cost ratio, the required investment volume, the expected service life and the risk of maladaptation. Urban trees, air conditioning systems and green roofs are particularly economical.
"Our study shows exactly where the need for action is greatest and which measures have the greatest impact per franc invested," says Resilens CEO and co-founder Dr. Oliver Marchand. "In this way, we are creating a reliable basis for those responsible in politics, administration and hospitals to justify investment decisions, access funding and prioritize specific adaptation measures." ce/mm
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