Last week, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) gave a green light to trials of genetically modified (GM) barley in Switzerland. Permission was given to the University of Zurich to plant GM barley at a controlled site in the canton of Zurich. The barley has been modified to resist fungal diseases. The experiment aims […]
Climate change affecting Switzerland at twice the global rate
This week, meteorological bigwigs from around the world meet in Geneva, the home of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), to discuss meteorology and climate change. Among many things, the WMO is involved in measuring compliance with greenhouse gas emissions using measuring stations around the world. A report by WMO says that the four years from […]
Radioactivity detected above Mühleberg nuclear plant
Recent aerial air tests detected a higher than average level of radioactivity near the Mühleberg nuclear plant in the canton of Bern, as shown in red in the image below. The source of the radioactivity was identified as vapour containing the radioactive isotope N-16. N-16 has a half life of around 7 seconds, so it loses […]
Plastic bag use declines steeply in Switzerland
In 2016, nearly 418 million disposable plastic bags were distributed at retail checkouts across Switzerland. By 2018, the number was less than 57 million, a drop of 86%, according the Swiss Retail Federation. Most of the decline occurred after a group of retailers in Switzerland signed an agreement with the Swiss Retail Federation to charge […]
Some Swiss train platforms might not be smoke-free until 2020
Many looking forward to smoke-free train platforms in Switzerland might be disappointed. The public transport union (UTP) announced in November 2018 that Swiss train platforms would be free of smoking from 1 June 2019 after testing the concept earlier in 2018. However, according to a recent press release 1 June 2019 is the rollout start […]
Overnight trains could return to Switzerland
Last week a spokesperson for Swiss Rail told Swiss broadcaster SFR that the rail company was discussing reintroducing long distance overnight sleeper trains. 15 years ago, Switzerland had an extensive overnight train network with destinations including Rome, Barcelona, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Graz Zagreb and Moscow. Progressively nearly all of these […]
Switzerland ranks near bottom for solar and wind energy
While Switzerland makes the most of the hydro generation potential of its snowy mountains, it scores less well on wind and solar generation. In a Europe-wide comparison by the Swiss Energy Foundation (SEF), Switzerland ranks near the bottom for per capita solar and wind power production. In addition, growth in solar is slow and growth […]
Smoking ban on Swiss train platforms faces delays
From 1 June 2019, Swiss train platforms are to be smoke free, in theory at least. In practice the ban could take longer at some train stations, according to the news website Watson. Implementing the ban involves creating designated smoking areas, something which will require more time in some locations, particularly at small regional train […]
Illegal nitrite found in tuna sold in Switzerland
Fresh tuna has is a nice red colour, however it quickly turns brown when exposed to the air. Tuna is easier to sell red than brown so those involved in the trade are faced with a temptation to reverse the discolouration. In 2017, an estimated CHF 200 million was made tricking retailers and consumers in […]
Parts of Switzerland shaken by earthquake
If you live near Montreux you might have felt an earthquake yesterday at 10:48 am when one measuring 4.2 struck. The quake was widely felt in the region and the police received a number of calls from concerned residents. Many would have heard a loud bang. The quake’s epicentre was around 15 km from Montreux in […]
