Electric heat pumps have a lower carbon footprint than gas and oil heating systems. They are more energy efficient, and, when gas, coal and oil electricity generation are eventually phased out of the grid, they will be close to emission free. However, the number of heat pumps being installed in Switzerland is falling, and the […]
Swiss to vote on plan to upgrade motorways this weekend
On 24 November 2024, the Swiss will vote on four questions. The first is a federal government plan to invest in expanding Switzerland’s motorway network. The government’s plan aims to alleviate six motorway bottlenecks. The Federal Council points out that traffic on the nation’s highways has more than doubled since 1990 and the estimated CHF […]
Switzerland remains the European leader in rail travel
This week, ahead of a vote to decide whether to expand the nations roads, LITRA, an organisation championing public transport in Switzerland, published its annual report on train travel across Europe. The figures show how far ahead of the rest of Europe Switzerland is on both the average number of journeys and distance travelled by […]
Federal Council rejects “nutrition initiative”
It is well known that plants-based diets are easier on the environment. By one measure producing animal protein requires up to 17 times as much land as vegetable protein. With this in mind, a group has come up with a plan aimed at forcing agricultural and dietary change. This week, the Federal Council rejected to proposal, reported […]
Expert calls for new approach to solar power in Switzerland
Renewable energy, such as electricity produced from the sun, comes with challenges. Sunshine does not follow our pattern of electricity consumption. Storing excess production helps. However, sometimes batteries hit full capacity. When this happens any excess must be dumped. Christoph Bucher and his team at Bern University of Applied Sciences advocate adding a system that […]
Zurich wants to charge more to park large cars
This week, the leaders of the municipality of Zurich voted in favour of charging large car owners more for resident parking permits, reported SRF. The prices of resident parking permits are set to be calculated based on vehicle weight. A similar charging model has already been introduced in the city of Biel/Bienne. In Zurich, owners […]
Switzerland exploring new form of burial
In Switzerland, 90% of people opt to have their remains cremated. The other 10% opt for burial. However, traditional burial contaminates soil and takes up valuable space. While cremation consumes significant energy and pollutes the air. Four women who created the organisation Werde Erde hope to make compost burial an option, reported SRF. When someone […]
How changing clocks back leads to more wildlife accidents
On 27 October 2024, daylight savings time ends when at 3am clocks are turned back one hour. However, this small change increases the number of collisions with wild animals on Swiss roads, reported SRF. In 2023, around 20,000 animals were hit on Swiss roads. Swiss motorists are most likely to hit a deer. In 2023, […]
Poll shows a majority favours Swiss motorway extension
On 24 November 2024, Swiss voters will decide on four proposals. One is whether to endorse a government plan to expand Switzerland’s motorway infrastructure in six places. A recent poll suggests a majority are in favour of the government’s plan, reported 20 Minutes. The poll was run last week by Tamedia and the results were […]
Mushroom picking warning heightened due to lack of antidote
Consuming some mushrooms can be deadly. The risk of fatality is even higher this mushroom season due to a shortage of antidote, warned tox info this week. According to RTS, around 100 people are poisoned by mushrooms a year. The toxic mushrooms for which there is currently no antidote are known as Death cap (Amanite […]
