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 […]
Swiss lakes starting to overflow
According to 24Heures some Swiss lakes are starting to overflow. Lake Bienne and Lake Neuchatel are being watched closely. The water level of Lake Bienne appears to have stabilised, however Lake Neuchatel’s is expected to continue rising. The alert level is at 4 out of 5 and several camping areas have been flooded. According to […]
Flash floods hit Blonay and St-Legier
On Monday 27 April 2015 flash floods hit the communes of Blonay and St-Légier situated above Montreux and Vevey in the Swiss canton of Vaud. Heavy rain fell for around one hour and water came rushing down streets without warning. According to an RTS report one person interviewed had never seen anything like it before. […]
Switzerland’s shameful electronic waste record
Rapid innovation and ever-shortening technology lifespans are driving a rapid increase in electrical waste. Laptops now typically get binned after two years, well before the end of their usable lives of around five. Televisions are also frequently switched for the latest and greatest cinematic innovation. Much of this is consumerism however, Moore’s law, which decrees […]
Swiss aviators beat Richard Branson around the world
“If the round-the-world balloon flight was the final adventure of the 20th Century, Solar Impulse is without doubt the first to encapsulate the challenges of the 21st” – Albert II, Prince of Monaco. When it comes to pioneering spirit, a few Swiss names stand proud on the international stage, including three generations of the Piccard family […]
Swiss referendum: replace VAT with an eco tax – Yes or No?
The latest initiative from the Liberal Green Party is a vote that aims to replace Swiss VAT with a tax on energy. The proposal would eliminate VAT and replace the revenue with a higher tax on non-renewable energy. The tax would be applied to all non-renewable energy products at percentages related to their environmental impact. […]
The unseen environmental cost of Swiss farming
Farming makes a valuable and critical contribution to society. It creates a food surplus that allows civilization to develop – farmers produce more food than they need so that the rest of the population can work on things beyond food production. At the same time farming has an environmental impact. It involves bending nature to […]
It’s Not Easy, Being Green
‘Just look at this horrible mess!’ bellowed the bigger child the other day. ‘Who did this?’ At first I thought she may be referring to the post-breakfast fallout under the dining room table … but no. Apparently I’m still the only one who notices that. Or cares about it. Or cleans it up. What the […]
