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 […]
Work started this week on second Gotthard road tunnel
On 29 September 2021, work began on the tunnel with a symbolic blast after being delayed since last spring because of the pandemic, reported RTS. The Gotthard road tunnel, which passes through the Alps between Göschenen (UR) et Airolo (TI), is one the most important and congested in Europe. The decision to build a second […]
Swiss air pollution exceeds new WHO guidelines
On 22 September 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) adjusted its healthy guidelines for key air pollutants. Switzerland now regularly exceeds maximum guidelines for several pollutants. According to WHO, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths a year globally and result in the loss of millions more healthy years of […]
Commission alarmed by the state of Switzerland’s soil
Ultimately, the plants we eat are made up of energy from the sun and compounds and elements extracted from the soil. Meat, eggs and diary are the same, just one step removed. This means the availability and nutritional value of food is heavily dependent on healthy soil. A recently released commission report raises the alarm […]
Switzerland imported a quarter of hydro electricity consumed in 2020
To keep the lights on Switzerland imports electricity. In 2020, 24% of the hydro electricity consumed in Switzerland was imported, along with small amounts of wind- and fossil fuel-generated electricity. In 2020, 50% of the electricity consumed in Switzerland came from Swiss hydro production. This was topped up by imports, which boosted hydro-sourced consumption by […]
