Citing the economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland’s Federal Council has decided to relax measures designed to curb the sale of the most polluting cars in Switzerland. In July 2012, Switzerland introduced regulations on the CO2 emissions of new cars. The rules, which include average fleet emissions limits, apply to any vendor importing more […]
Switzerland set for warmest recorded winter
Switzerland is heading for its warmest winter since records began in 1864, according to Swiss Meteo. The average temperature across the period from December to February was 0.7 degrees, according to the weather forecaster. This winter brought a more consistent than normal warm air current from the Atlantic ocean. This has prevented cold air descending […]
Switzerland’s largest glacier could shrink by half by century end
Recent 3D modelling estimates how climate change will affect the Aletsch Glacier. In the worst case scenario modeled by researchers at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich, only a few small patches of ice would remain. Aletsch, the largest glacier in Switzerland and the Alps, currently stretches over 23 km from its 4,000m high starting […]
Switzerland heading for third hottest summer on record
According to Swiss Meteo, this summer will probably be Switzerland’s third hottest on record. This year’s average summer temperature will be between 15 and 16 degrees, around 2 degrees higher than the norm between 1981 and 2010, according to the forecaster. The marked rise in summer temperatures is a sign of climate change, according to […]
Is Greta Thunberg’s sea voyage to New York really less polluting than flying?
To avoid the high carbon footprint of flying, Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist is instead sailing from Europe to New York to attend a global United Nations summit. However, there is a snag. According to the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung, the coming and going of her fellow crew members from New York by […]
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 […]
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 […]
Global warming to impact Switzerland at twice average speed, warns researcher
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts a global temperature rise of 2 degrees will have a far greater impact than previously predicted. To avoid catastrophe, the authors recommend aiming for a lower 1.5 degree rise in global temperatures, only half a degree higher than now. Achieving this would require net global emissions to […]
Family planning and climate change – the arithmetic causing a stir
Following the recent release of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on its dramatic climate change predictions, the news agency APF published a chart from 2017 showing the effects of various actions to reduce human emissions. Quelques moyens pour réduire son empreinte carbone #AFP pic.twitter.com/QcFw0waCUG — Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) October 8, […]
