As France and the UK swelter through record-breaking heatwaves, the Swiss Re Institute has warned Switzerland is warming at twice the global average.

Launching its Resilient Switzerland Initiative, the research group says that while the nation has built strong resilience to floods, storms and other natural hazards, extreme heat is putting it to the test.

It cites the Swiss Academy of Sciences on the country’s alarming rate of warming.

The institute says extreme heat can amplify risks to health, agriculture, water, energy and infrastructure while increasing the potential for natural hazards such as floods.

Climate data reveals Switzerland now experiences 10-15 “hot” days a year – when the daily maximum temperature reaches 30 degrees or more. In 1990 there were five such days.

Swiss Re country president for Switzerland Gianfranco Lot says heat is harder to insure than other risks, and it can heighten threats the country currently manages well.

“For heat, resilience means shade on the street, cool rooms in care facilities, safer hours for outdoor work and risk sharing where losses cannot be prevented.”

The institute says adaptation of homes, schools, care facilities and workplaces designed for cooler conditions is a shared effort between insurers, governments, utilities, emergency services, businesses and communities.