Last weekend, 63% of voters in the canton of Zurich confirmed a government decision to phase out heating oil and gas heating in the canton. Laws passed by the cantonal government in 2014 to ban the installation of heating oil and gas heating in new and old buildings proved unpopular with some. Aiming to overturn […]
First winter snow forecast across much of Switzerland this weekend
Snow is forecast to fall on much of Switzerland this weekend, according to various forecast services. According Swiss Meteo, snow is currently predicted to fall in Zurich, Bern and Lausanne on Friday and Saturday and in Geneva on Saturday and Sunday. While Basel is expected to get a bit on Saturday. Meteo Blue, another forecaster, […]
Lights out – Geneva to cut lights to save electricity
This week, the government of the canton of Geneva changed a law to require non residential buildings, with some exceptions, to switch off their lights at night between 1am and 6am. Thursday’s parliamentary vote in favour of the move is expected to cut the canton’s electricity consumption by at least 1%. During parts of winter, […]
What are Swiss rules on winter tyres?
New laws in France require drivers to fit winter tyres or carry chains from 1 November until 31 March in certain mountainous regions of the country. However, Switzerland has different laws on the subject. In Switzerland, there is no legal requirement to fit winter tyres. However, the Swiss Road Traffic Act (Art. 29) requires all […]
Switzerland hatches plan to use roads and railways to produce electricity
On 27 October 2021, the Swiss government adopted a report setting out how Swiss motorways and railway lines could be used to generate more than 100 GWh of electricity a year. Calculations in the report show that solar panels placed on noise reduction barriers running along the edges of motorways and railway lines in Switzerland […]
Swiss clocks go back one hour this Sunday
Early on Sunday 31 October 2021 Swiss clocks turn back one hour. Officially they are adjusted at 3am. The rest of Europe will adjust its clocks at the same time. This means one hour longer in bed and more light when you get up. On the down side, it will be darker in the evenings. […]
Swiss president warns nation to prepare for electricity shortages
According to Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s president, it is possible the country could suffer electricity shortages for weeks or even months by 2025. Switzerland faces two principal challenges when it come to electricity. The first is that it doesn’t produce enough and must import electricity to satisfy demand. During winter around 20% of Switzerland’s electricity is […]
Dioxin pollution in Lausanne sparks concerns in other Swiss regions
This week, the canton of Vaud said that eggs and pumpkins produced in a zone covering much of Lausanne should not be eaten. The areas affected are shown by shading in the image above. The darkest shaded zones are the most polluted. Eggs grown in the three central zones should not be eaten, along with […]
A very wet year for Switzerland
The hydrological year, which runs until 30 September, was very wet this year in Switzerland, particularly in the north of Switzerland, according to SRF Meteo, reported RTS. In Basel and St-Gallen a third more rain fell in 2020-21 than normal. Basel received 1,064 mm of rain compared to its long-run average of 780 mm. Only […]
Swiss farmers hit back at nutritional labelling
Bulging waist lines and high rates of heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes are putting increasing pressure on healthcare systems, so the world is on the lookout for ways to tackle the problem. One is food labelling. But few producers want their products labelled as unhealthy. Swiss farmers are no exception. According to the […]
