Today is the September equinox, the day when the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. It also marks the start of autumn, however if you live above 1,500m it is likely to feel more like the beginning of winter. According to the weather forecaster Meteonews, snow is predicted above […]
Rare tornado on Lake Zurich, Switzerland
On Saturday a rare tornado was seen on Lake Zurich. Photographs and videos were taken by those who saw it and posted on Twitter. Tornados are rotating columns of air. They are caused when warm moist air meets cool dry air. When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere – cold […]
Make the most of the last nice day
According to Meteo Suisse temperatures are set to drop by around 10 degrees across nearly all of Switzerland tomorrow. Today’s forecast high in Geneva is 33 degrees. Tomorrow the high is expected to reach only 22 degrees. Zurich is similar: 32 degrees today and 24 degrees tomorrow. By Saturday everywhere north of the Alps is […]
Geneva to fine homeowners without double glazing
GHI. According to an article in the newspaper GHI, all homeowners in Geneva that still have single glazing in their homes at the end of January 2016 will be fined. Double glazing incorporating non-insulated aluminium frames will also attract fines. Housing consumes half of Geneva’s energy and generates two thirds of its carbon emission. The […]
Could Switzerland be the best place when climatic catastrophe strikes?
The American climate change activist and director of climate science at Columbia University’s Earth Institute James Hansen describes Switzerland’s advantages when global droughts, rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions strike. The Atlantic newspaper asked James Hansen: “If climate change continues at this pace, is anywhere going to be safe?”. “Switzerland would be a good […]
Mind-blowing facts about Switzerland
Quora.com – where questions are asked and answered by a community of users. Dheera Venkatraman says: That the annual CO2 emissions per capita is around 5-6 metric tonnes. That’s astounding efficiency for a developed nation. Compare that to 18-19 for the United States and 9-10 for Germany, 8-10 for Japan in recent years. That the […]
Wasp nests growing faster than normal
Wasps love summer heat and this summer has been particularly favourable for them, keeping Swiss exterminators very busy. Wasps differ from bees in many ways. Bees eat nectar while wasps have a broader diet that includes meat, which means they are attracted to barbeques. In addition, wasps are more aggressive and can sting multiple times. […]
New Swiss heat records
24 Heures. The heatwave (or canicule as it is known in French) that has hit much of Europe has shattered a number of heat records in Switzerland. No records show higher temperatures in Geneva, Nyon or Neuchatel than those measured on 7 July 2015. The previous record highs recorded in 1921 for these cities have […]
Barbeque bans across much of Switzerland
24 Heures and 20 Minutes. According to 24Heures the canton of Vaud has banned fires and barbeques due to high fire risk. In a similar article 20 Minutes reported that fires and barbeques in the cantons of Valais, Basel city, Basel country and Solothurn have also been banned. The bans forbid fires and barbequing in […]
Switzerland has no plans to ban sprays such as Roundup despite health warnings
Tribune de Genève. The newspaper reported that the Swiss federal council said last Friday that it did not consider it necessary to ban the use of sprays containing the active ingredient glyphosate found in around 70 sprays (including Roundup) available in Switzerland. In March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency of […]
