Currently, only 100 km (6.8%) of Switzerland’s national motorway network has six lanes – typically three in each direction. 1,311 km (90%) of the network has four lanes, with a remaining 47 km (3.2%) consisting of five lanes. According to NZZ am Sonntag, and reported in 20 Minutes, the Federal Council wants to expand the […]
50 tonnes of plastic ends up in Lake Geneva every year
Every year around 50 tonnes of plastic ends up in Lake Geneva, according to study mandated by the Association pour la sauvegarde du Léman (ASL). Most plastic comes from litter and from plastic in rivers flowing into the lake. Only 10% of this total plastic leaves the lake via the Rhone river. The rest remains […]
Question of the week – If we exhaust the Earth we could move to Mars. But what would happen if we exhausted Mars too?
Some developing hi-tech solutions to environmental problems admit their efforts will provide only temporary breathing space if the humans continue to multiply and consume more. By this logic Mars would only provide more temporary breathing space. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Tax on flying rejected by narrow majority in Swiss parliament
Earlier this week a thin majority of Switzerland’s parliament rejected a plan to tax flights out of Switzerland. 93 voted against, 88 in favour, with 8 abstentions, according to RTS. The vote was part of a project looking at the country’s emissions rules. More than 10% of greenhouse gas emitted by Switzerland comes from flying, […]
Switzerland experiences its coldest night since last February
Tuesday night brought a chill to Switzerland. The temperature in the town of Brévine in the Jura plunged to -20 degrees. In Glattalp, another of Switzerland’s famed cold spots, the temperature went as low as -36.5 degrees. Neither Brévine (1043m) or Glattalp (1896m) are particularly high, however they both have micro climates dictated by geography […]
Flying more than 10% of Switzerland’s greenhouse gas
More than 10% of greenhouse gas emitted by Switzerland comes from flying, according to data from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Overall, Switzerland’s greenhouse gas emissions were nearly 10% lower in 2016 than they were in 1990. However, the trend in flight emissions was the opposite, rising by 68% since 1990. The 10.7% […]
Over half of Swiss ready to rethink lifestyle to save the planet, according to survey
Over half (54%) of those surveyed felt climate change was serious enough for them to rethink their way of life, according to a survey by GFS Zurich. Across Switzerland, 62% of women and 46% of men thought this. The percentage was higher in German-speaking Switzerland (65%) than in French-speaking Switzerland (29%). Only a minority thought […]
Climate change contributes to surprise fall in Swiss GDP
Third quarter Swiss GDP figures released yesterday show Switzerland’s economy shrank compared to the quarter before. GDP for the quarter to September was down by 0.2% compared to the quarter before, ending an 18-month run of quarterly growth. The fall in Swiss GDP follows a quarterly slowdown across the rest of Europe, in Germany in […]
Geneva decides to ban the most polluting vehicles
On Friday, Geneva’s parliament voted in favour of a plan to progressively ban the most polluting vehicles from the city centre when air pollution reaches certain levels. While the legal details need to be worked out, the plan, which was put together by the canton’s executive, could be modeled on the French system. The French […]
New nuclear reactors might be planned near Geneva
The French power company EDF has been looking at buying land near a nuclear power plant in the nearby department of Ain, according to the newspaper Le Temps. It is understood that a third generation Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) could be built there. An EPR is a type of pressurized water reactor developed by EDF […]
