On 16 July 2023, more than 100,000 air travellers passed through Zurich airport. This is the first time since the Covid pandemic that passenger numbers have reached six figures, reported the airport company. During the pandemic, some thought attitudes to air travel might change durably as people fell into a routine of holidaying closer to […]
Firefighters continue to fight Swiss forest fire
On Monday 17 July 2023, a forest fire started in the municipality of Bitsch in the canton of Valais. Firefighters continue to work to bring the blaze under control and will continue through the weekend, reported SRF. According to Valais Police the fire had covered an area of around 100 hectares by Tuesday. Six helicopters […]
Fertility reaches 20-year low in Switzerland
Data from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office show a further decline in the average number of births per woman. In 2022, the rate was 1.39 children per woman or 9.3 births per 1,000 residents, the lowest level in 20 years. During 2022 around 82,000 babies were born in Switzerland, 8.5% fewer than in 2021. Extrapolating recent […]
1,000 franc annual train pass finds political support
The idea of encouraging greater use of public transport with a cheaper travel pass has been around for a long time. As Switzerland’s federal election approaches and Swiss Rail fare increases are set to kick in at the end of 2023 the idea has come back into the political spotlight. More specifically members of the […]
Limited cooling on Swiss trains deliberate
As summer temperatures rise, some users of public transport in Switzerland have been complaining about a lack of air conditioning on trains, trams and buses. This limited cooling is deliberate, according to SRF. In an interview with SRF, a spokesperson for Basel’s public transport company explained that cooling limits are designed to avoid thermal shock, […]
Switzerland records hottest day of year
On 11 July 2023, Switzerland experienced its hottest day of the year. The highest temperature in Switzerland of 37.6 degrees was recorded in Chur, the capital of Gruabunden, reported RTS. This temperature is striking given Chur sits at an altitude of 592 metres above sea level. High temperatures in July follow an unusually hot June. […]
Switzerland ranked world’s voting champion
A report published this week by the Aarau Center for Democracy shows how far Switzerland leads the world on voting. Since 1848, Swiss voters have been asked to decide on 689 federal referenda and elections, a multiple of the number in any other nation. If cantonal and municipal votes are added the number of decisions […]
Sons leave home later than daughters in Switzerland
In Switzerland, 32% of women have moved out of the family home by the age of 20, compared to only 23% of men, according to data published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This gender different persists with rising age. By 25, 83% of daughters have left but only 68% of sons have. […]
Large Rhine river heat pump planned in Basel
The energy company IWB is planning to install one of the largest heat pump systems in Switzerland using water from the Rhine river, reported SRF this week. The new facility is expected to heat around 5,000 homes in Basel. Such water-based heat pump technology is already being deployed in other locations in Switzerland. In the […]
Climate change behind 60 percent of Swiss heat deaths
A study published this week estimates 60% of heat wave deaths in Switzerland in 2022 were the result of human-induced climate change. The authors estimated that 370 of the 623 deaths due to heat between June and August 2022 were due to human-induced climate change. These additional deaths represent 3.5% of all deaths. The estimate […]
