With five weeks to go before Swiss vote on two initiatives aimed at drastically cutting the use of pesticides, more than 50% appear to be in favour of both initiatives, according to RTS. One of these initiatives, the clean drinking water initiative, aims to tie access to Switzerland’s generous farm subsidies to forgoing pesticide (and […]
Bio Suisse rejects anti-pesticide initiative in favour of its margins
The organic association Bio Suisse has come out against an upcoming referendum in June 2021 that aims to restrict Swiss farm income support payments to those who renounce the use of pesticide and the non-medical use of antibiotics on livestock. A popular reason for buying organic food is the concerns around the negative effects of […]
Unusually deadly avalanche season in Switzerland this winter
With the end of Switzerland’s ski season only weeks away, the number of avalanche deaths this season is already unusually high level. The average annual number of people caught in avalanches over the last 20 years is 177. This winter 296 people were affected, a 67% rise. 215 (73%) of the avalanches this season were […]
Swiss clocks advance one hour on Sunday
Summer time begins on Sunday, 28 March 2021 in Switzerland. In line with the surrounding European nations, at 2 a.m. on Sunday, 28 March 2021, Swiss clocks will move forward on hour to 3 a.m. Switzerland will remain on summer time until 31 October 2021. Abolishing daylight savings in Europe has been a subject of […]
Call for SUV import ban in Switzerland
Swiss parliamentarian Isabelle Pasquier-Eichenberger from the Green Party has asked the Federal Council to ban the import of vehicles weighing 2 tonnes or more from 2022. Heavy SUVs are becoming more and more popular in Switzerland. In 2019, around 130,000 were sold compared to 50,000 in 2010. They now make up 40% of new car […]
Swiss to vote on trade deal with Indonesia
On 7 March 2021, Swiss voters will vote on whether to accept a new trade deal with Indonesia. The deal agreed by the Swiss and Indonesian governments aims to improve trade with South East Asia’s largest economy by cutting tariffs in both directions. However, the deal has opponents who have successfully called a referendum against […]
Swiss lakes at risk to climate change
Climate change could leave some Swiss lakes with higher amounts of algae and toxic cyanobacteria, according to a recent study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). A simulation done by scientists at Eawag shows that as climate change alters water temperature, ice cover and mixing of many Swiss lakes could […]
Last weekend’s coldest Swiss temperature disqualified
Last weekend, at 4am on Saturday a thermometer at Switzerland’s Glattalp weather station 1,900m above sea level plunged to -44 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Switzerland. However, the record was disqualified because the thermometer was not in the open air at 2 metres from the ground. Instead it was buried under snow. […]
Using Swiss tax money to promote meat should stop, argue environmentalists
Every year, Swiss tax payers contribute CHF 5.4 million to the promotion and marketing of Swiss meat. The money is paid to Proviande, a meat industry association, and it is used to promote and market meat produced in Switzerland. For environmentalists, using public funds to promote and advertise an environmentally damaging product makes no sense. […]
The cause of the apocalyptic skies covering Switzerland
On 6 February 2021, across parts of Switzerland, people awoke to a strange yellowish light and brown skies. The strange light and brown sky is caused by sand from the Sahara desert. It is a well known meteorological phenomenon that occurs around three times a year in Switzerland, according to SRF Meteo. Areas currently most […]
