A Swiss Meteo air testing station in Payerne, Switzerland has detected ash from Portugal’s forest fire. On 21 June 2017, the first traces were detected over the Swiss plateau by a remote detection device in Payerne. The fire in the Pedrogao Grande forest in Portugal, started on Saturday 17 April 2017 and continued to burn for five days, […]
Swiss water contains too much pesticide, says water industry
24 Heures. More must be urgently done to protect Switzerland’s drinking water, according the Swiss water and gas industry association (SSIGE). One fifth of drinking water samples analysed by the national underground water testing organisation (NAQUA), contained levels of pesticides and nitrates above acceptable levels. And 30% of measurement points, contained very high levels. The highest concentrations […]
Switzerland sizzles on longest day of the year
Switzerland’s longest day of the year is here. Travelling at 110,000 km/h, the earth completes a circuit of the sun every 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, something called a tropical year. The longest day occurs in each hemisphere, when it reaches the point in this annual journey where it is most inclined towards the […]
Heat wave descends on Switzerland
Swiss Meteo has issued a heatwave warning. Temperatures rose beyond 30 today across nearly all of Switzerland. A heatwave is officially declared when a period of high heat is set to last for at least three days. The heatwave warning covers all areas below 800m and is expected to last until Friday, except in Ticino where it will […]
Jet ski use authorised on Lake Geneva
20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, jet ski operator Pascal Guarnieri, based in Amphion, France, is over the moon after an administrative tribunal in Grenoble overturned two rulings, clearing the way for jet skis to be used on the French portion of Lake Geneva. After a legal battle lasting ten years, Pascal Guarnieri has achieved his […]
Swiss government rejects environmental call to cut meat advertising subsidies
Those concerned about the environment know the huge cost meat production exacts on the planet. By one measure producing animal protein requires up to 17 times as much land as vegetable protein, up to 26 times as much water, and up to 7 times as much phosphate, a dwindling natural resource. One study calculates that one […]
An earthquake shook Fribourg a bit yesterday
24 Heures. Some in the Swiss canton of Fribourg might have felt the earth wobble on Tuesday morning when a quake of 3.3 on the richter scale occurred. The exact location of the quake was 9.8 kilometres north west of the Schwarzsee, according to the Swiss seismological service in Zurich. 09:18 Séisme de magnitude 3.3 […]
Two thirds of population want cuts in Switzerland’s pesticide use, says survey
A recent survey conducted by GFS Zurich shows strong support for cuts in pesticide use in Switzerland. The survey, requested by BirdLife Suisse, Greenpeace, Pro Natura and WWF Switzerland, found that 65% of the close to 1,000 surveyed would like pesticide use reduced in Switzerland. In addition, 49% favoured restricting government support payments to only […]
Coop experiments with first 100% vegetarian store
Coop recently opened its first vegetarian shop. The store, which is in Zug’s train station, sells no meat and no strong alcoholic drinks, such as whiskey. The store concept dubbed “Karma” includes 2,000 meat-free products. The supermarket chain described the launch as not just good news for vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians, those who eat little […]
More than 60 percent of urban Swiss affected by noise pollution
A report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows at least 2.5 million of the people living in Switzerland’s 13 largest cities are exposed to noise levels above 55 decibels, a level at which noise becomes annoying and above the 50 decibels that disturbs sleep. This number, which relates only those living in Switzerland’s 13 largest urban […]
