After adjusting for weather conditions, emissions from heating oil and gas fell by 8% 2023, according to data published this week by the Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN). The main driver of the improvement is improved building efficiency from better insulation and more efficient heating technology. The fall in emissions from burning gas (-41.7%) […]
More than half of buildings in Switzerland at flood risk
Currently, Switzerland’s mountain regions are suffering badly from flooding following thunderstorms and exceptionally heavy rain. However, Switzerland’s plateau is not immune to flooding, reported SRF. New calculations suggest more than half of Switzerland’s buildings are at risk of being damaged by storms and floods. As the climate changes, devastating thunderstorms are becoming more frequent everywhere, […]
Swiss smoking rate declines but remains high
In 2022, 24% of Switzerland’s population smoked, according to data published on 2 July 2024 by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This percentage is down 3 percentage points from the rate in 2017 when the survey was last done. The smoking rate has fallen most significantly among people with tertiary education. The proportion of heavy […]
Swiss to raise fares to cover costs of environmental regulations
This week, Swiss and its parent Lufthansa group announced fare hikes on flights departing from Europe to cover the cost of complying with European Commission environmental rules, reported RTS. From 1 January 2025, European flyers will pay a surcharge. Anyone departing from the UK, Norway, Switzerland or one of the 27 EU nations will be […]
Hiking banned on Rhone as river level rises
Walking next to the Rhone has been banned in the canton of Valais until Monday evening due to high water levels, reported RTS. High temperatures over the last few days have rapidly melted some of the unusually abundant snowfall in April and May 2024. In addition, there has been heavy rain. The combined effect of […]
Swiss spend a record number of hours in traffic in 2023
In 2023, total hours spent in traffic in Switzerland rose 22% compared to 2022, reaching an all time high, according to data from the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO). Across the year, nearly 49,000 hours of traffic congestion were recorded on Switzerland’s motorways, expressways and third-class national roads, 22.4% more than the year before. These roads […]
Swiss Green Party launches vote to force home solar panel installation
This week, Switzerland’s Green Party started collecting signatures to launch a referendum. The vote would ask voters whether to accept a plan to force those renovating or constructing a new building to install solar panels, reported RTS. The Green Party says there are enough roofs in Switzerland to ween the country off imported fossil fuel […]
Extracting CO2 from the air may cost cost as little as US$100-200 per tonne by 2050 say Swiss experts
Swiss scientists are working hard on technology to extract CO2 from the air to combat climate change. Since they began their work on the technology they have already halved the cost to between US$ 400 and 600 a tonne, reported SRF this week. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), by the second […]
Swiss to vote on renewable electricity this weekend
Switzerland doesn’t produce enough electricity to meet its needs, particularly in winter when demand is highest. To keep the lights on it imports electricity from its neighbours, much of it produced with polluting fuels. This leaves Switzerland reliant on its neighbours and acts as a drag on its climate progress. To remedy this, the government […]
Switzerland remains a country of car commuters
Data published this week, shows that half of Swiss workers travel to and from work by car, despite a push to get commuters to switch to public transport to meet climate targets. Federal Statistical Office data shows that around 80% of the nation’s 5 million workers were required to travel to work in 2022. Of […]