Two recently published studies by Eawag and the Ecotox Centre have once again shown that surface waters in agricultural catchment areas in Switzerland are heavily contaminated with a mixture of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and other chemicals. In most of the samples, 30 or more different active ingredients were detected. Studies of stream biodiversity and bioassays […]
Archives for 2019
More than 90% of soil on Swiss organic farms contaminated with pesticides
Researchers at the University of Neuchâtel measured the concentrations of five neonicotinoid insecticides in 702 soil and plant samples from 169 cultivated fields and 62 Ecological Focus Areas (EFA) across Switzerland’s lowland areas – EFA are areas set aside to improve the environment or climate. Organic farms, EFAs and organic seeds are supposed to be […]
Swiss canton blocks 5G mobile rollout
The rollout of fifth generation (5G) mobile technology is causing a stir across Switzerland. Groups, such as the Association Romande Alerte and the Gigaherz Club, are protesting at the rollout of the new technology, claiming that it poses potential health risks. In addition, they argue that it isn’t needed because current networks are sufficient. Elected officials […]
Swiss test finds toxic substances in e-cigarettes
Testing commissioned by Blue Cross, a Swiss organisation focused on helping those with addictions, found toxic substances in the Iqos electronic cigarette produced by Philip Morris, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. Toxic isocyanates were released when the polymer filter in the device was heated to 100 degrees, a temperature significantly lower than the maximum […]
Question of the week: is the politics of income equality undermining the fight against climate change?
In Switzerland, emissions taxes, such as the one on home heating fuel, do two things. They make it more expensive to pollute and they redistribute income – every resident in Switzerland gets an equal share of the tax collected in the form of a deduction from their health insurance premiums. The redistributive element of this […]
More than 80 centimetres of new snow in some parts of Switzerland
Earlier this week it felt like spring in Switzerland. However, by Wednesday it had turned very wintery in parts of the country and snow continued to fall throughout Thursday, particularly in the Alps. More than 80 centimetres fell in Switzerland’s central Alpine region, an area including the Simplon pass and centered on the Alpine resort […]
60% of Swiss in favour of framework agreement with the EU, according to latest survey
In a recently published survey done by gfs.bern, 60% were in favour the institutional agreement between Switzerland and the EU. The most popular reason for supporting the agreement is the economic certainty voters think it would bring. However, support for the agreement was fairly luke warm. Only 17% were strongly in favour of it compared […]
FILM: RBG – the exceptional documentary of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
5 April 2019. By Neptune A rich array of releases this week – do not miss them! RBG **** Ruth Bader Ginsberg has not only been a judge on the Supreme Court of the United States since 1993, but she has been a persistent ground-breaker in the struggle for equal rights between men and women […]
Question of the week: is retirement a key driver of climate change?
To make the numbers work, pay-as-you-go state pensions require a high ratio of workers, who pay into the system, to retirees, who get money out. This leads some governments with growing populations of pensioners to push for higher birth rates. However, according to a climate report by Lund University having one less child is the […]
The one in ten Swiss who live abroad
With all of the hot politics surrounding immigration it is easy to lose sight of those moving abroad. Among Swiss citizens, one in ten lives abroad. In 2018, 10.7% of the Swiss population was living in another country. Of the 760,200 Swiss living outside Switzerland, more than 62% were living in Europe. France (197,400) had […]
