Climate solutions

Coverage of Switzerland’s adaptation to new realities and opportunities posed by melting glaciers and permafrost, as well as what innovation looks like when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions.

Green promises: the two faces of the Swiss cement giant Holcim

Holcim also manufactures in Switzerland – here is the factory in Siggental, Canton of Aargau.

This content was published on Sep 22, 2025 On the very day Holcim is fighting against a climate lawsuit in a court in Zug, the Swiss cement company is promoting its Net Zero plans at a congress just a few kilometres down the road.

Glaciers & permafrost

View of the fjord and front of the Eqalorutsit Kangilliit Sermiat glacier in southern Greenland.

Fibre optics detect the invisible waves that melt Greenland’s ice sheet

This content was published on Aug 20, 2025 The breaking off of large chunks of ice from glaciers accelerates the melting of the Arctic ice sheet in Greenland. This has been measured for the first time by a research team using fibre optics.

Tourists admire the Aletsch Glacier, the longest glacier in Europe.

What is the future of glacier tourism in a world with less ice?

This content was published on Jul 23, 2025 Climate change puts glacier tourism at risk. How can this vital industry be saved for local communities? Here are some adaptation strategies.

Fading fast: the final years of East Africa’s glaciers

This content was published on Jul 23, 2025 East Africa’s tropical glaciers, from Kilimanjaro to Mount Kenya, are disappearing due to climate change. What does this mean for the continent’s water supply?

Researchers in Switzerland have tested the use of fibre optics on several Alpine glaciers (picture shows the Rhone Glacier).

Fibre optics on glaciers open new frontiers for natural disaster predictions

This content was published on Jun 29, 2025 The fibre-optic cables we use to surf the Internet and make phone calls could help us predict a landslide or the collapse of a glacier.

Saving lives in the shadow of melting giants

This content was published on Jun 25, 2025 As climate change threatens the Himalayas, Switzerland brings its Alpine disaster prevention expertise to India.

The Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland is the largest in Europe by volume.

Why Iceland is becoming a glacier graveyard

This content was published on May 25, 2025 Iceland’s glaciers are among the fastest melting in the world. This causes not only the sea level but also the ground to rise.

Why do Swiss mountains collapse? It’s complicated

This content was published on May 23, 2025 Small landslides are on the increase in the Swiss Alps owing to climate change. But the link with global warming is less obvious for large natural disasters.

Achille Capelli studies the effects of climate change on Alaska's ice and snow. Pictured is at Barrow Point, the northernmost point in the United States.

From the snow of Davos to the ice of the Arctic

This content was published on May 18, 2025 Swiss researcher Achille Capelli has found an open-air laboratory in Alaska. He is studying the polar ice shelf and is worried to see the impact of climate change.

The Nevado del Ruiz glacier, located at an altitude of 5,320 metres in Colombia, has seen its surface area halved since the 1980s.

South America’s tropical glaciers are an endangered cultural heritage

This content was published on Apr 19, 2025 These glaciers, located near the equator, are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and the consequences of their melting are vast.

The Yala Glacier in Nepal could disappear in the next 20-25 years.

Nepal and the Himalayas, the agony of glaciers on the roof of the world

This content was published on Apr 12, 2025 Melting Himalayan glaciers increase the risk of catastrophic flooding and reduce fresh water resources for nearly two billion people.

The international consequences of a glacier-free Switzerland

This content was published on Apr 7, 2025 Switzerland’s glaciers could almost disappear due to global warming. Melting ice in the Alps will have an impact on large rivers in Western Europe – but it won’t stop there.

Emissions reduction

Green promises: the two faces of the Swiss cement giant Holcim

Ibu Asmania (left) and Arif Pujianto, residents of Pulau Pari in Indonesia, are asking Swiss cement producer Holcim to reduce its CO2 emissions.

Indonesians vs Swiss company Holcim: ‘We want to save our island’

This content was published on Sep 2, 2025 Inhabitants of Indonesia’s Pulau Pari island accuse Swiss cement giant Holcim of contributing to the climate crisis that threatens their existence.

Silent power guzzlers: Switzerland’s booming data centres

This content was published on Jul 25, 2025 Data centres are popping up across Switzerland, driven in part by demand for AI. They come at a cost: by 2030, the centres could consume 15% of the country’s electricity.

A nuclear power plant in Switzerland shown between dark clouds and bright rapeseed fields.

Risks remain as Switzerland weighs return to nuclear power

This content was published on Jul 17, 2025 Switzerland reconsiders nuclear power amid climate goals, but experts warn of hidden risks that show the complexities of clean energy today.

The Gösgen nuclear power plant in canton Solothurn is one of three still in operation in Switzerland.

Why climate change and wars are reviving interest in nuclear energy

This content was published on Jul 17, 2025 Is the Fukushima effect over? Here’s why there is renewed interest around the atom and which nations want to build new nuclear power plants.

In recent years ski resorts at lower altitudes have had to re-think their tourism offers due to the lack of snow.

Climate change puts Swiss tourism to the test

This content was published on Jul 16, 2025 Climate change threatens tourism in Switzerland – and is partly caused by it. How can the industry become more sustainable?

The Neurath lignite-fired power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Climate misinformation is ‘muddying waters’ and delaying urgent action, experts warn

This content was published on Jul 11, 2025 The fossil fuel industry and right-wing populists are coordinating misinformation campaigns to obstruct efforts to tackle the climate crisis, according to a new review of climate misinformation.

AI giants accused of hiding environmental footprint

This content was published on Jul 8, 2025 The boom in artificial intelligence (AI) comes with environmental costs that are still largely hidden.

Opinion

Climate scientist: overhyped carbon removal risks delaying urgent climate action

This content was published on Jun 26, 2025 Misrepresenting the potential of carbon dioxide removal technologies like direct air capture risks undermining global efforts to decarbonise, says climate scientist James Kerry.

Solar panels on the Muttsee dam in the Glarus Alps, August 2021.

Five unusual places to install solar panels in Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 15, 2025 Solar energy is essential for achieving a zero-emission society. But where to produce it in large quantities? Here are the most curious and promising Swiss ideas.

A view on June 6 of the millions of tonnes of rock, ice and other debris that engulfed the mountain village of Blatten in the Lötschental valley after a local glacier collapsed on May 28.

The devastating glacier collapse in Blatten: what next?

This content was published on Jun 13, 2025 Two weeks after a landslide wiped out most of the Alpine village of Blatten, talk of reconstruction is picking up, but huge challenges remain.

Climate adaptation

Green promises: the two faces of the Swiss cement giant Holcim

Switzerland’s Grande Dixence: how Europe’s tallest dam measures up at 75

This content was published on Aug 25, 2025 Built between 1950 and 1961 by 3,000 workers in gruelling conditions, the Grande Dixence is now 75 years old. Here are seven key facts about the spectacular dam.

extreme heat work health. Construction worker Justino cools off during a heat wave in Texas.

Too hot to work? Extreme heat endangers billions of workers

This content was published on Aug 22, 2025 Billions of workers face heat stress, illness and lost income as global temperatures climb, warns a WHO-WMO joint report.

The city of Lucerne: the flood of 2005 is among the worst natural disasters in recent history in Switzerland.

Is Switzerland’s natural disaster insurance a model for the world?

This content was published on Aug 21, 2025 The Swiss insurance system against natural hazards also offers cover in high-risk areas. A unique model that could inspire other countries.

Luxury or necessity? Five questions about air conditioning in Switzerland and around the world

This content was published on Aug 11, 2025 As heatwaves become more intense and frequent, sales of air conditioners are booming. But this has consequences for the climate and electricity consumption.

What is the future of glacier tourism in a world with less ice?

This content was published on Jul 23, 2025 Climate change puts glacier tourism at risk. How can this vital industry be saved for local communities? Here are some adaptation strategies.

Fading fast: the final years of East Africa’s glaciers

Why climate change and wars are reviving interest in nuclear energy

This content was published on Jul 17, 2025 Is the Fukushima effect over? Here’s why there is renewed interest around the atom and which nations want to build new nuclear power plants.

Climate change puts Swiss tourism to the test

This content was published on Jul 16, 2025 Climate change threatens tourism in Switzerland – and is partly caused by it. How can the industry become more sustainable?

A crack in a ski lift structure in the Swiss Alps caused by thawing permafrost.

New hope for cable cars and mountain huts threatened by permafrost collapse

This content was published on Jul 16, 2025 A novel scientific solution being developed in Switzerland aims to stabilise mountain infrastructure endangered by climate change.

Climate misinformation is ‘muddying waters’ and delaying urgent action, experts warn

Indonesians vs Swiss company Holcim: ‘We want to save our island’

This content was published on Sep 2, 2025 Inhabitants of Indonesia’s Pulau Pari island accuse Swiss cement giant Holcim of contributing to the climate crisis that threatens their existence.

Europe’s tallest dam turns 75

This content was published on Aug 25, 2025 Built by 3,000 workers in the rugged Swiss Alps, the Grande Dixence dam is a towering symbol of Swiss engineering and hydropower innovation.

Switzerland’s Grande Dixence: how Europe’s tallest dam measures up at 75

Too hot to work? Extreme heat endangers billions of workers

This content was published on Aug 22, 2025 Billions of workers face heat stress, illness and lost income as global temperatures climb, warns a WHO-WMO joint report.

Is Switzerland’s natural disaster insurance a model for the world?

This content was published on Aug 21, 2025 The Swiss insurance system against natural hazards also offers cover in high-risk areas. A unique model that could inspire other countries.

Fibre optics detect the invisible waves that melt Greenland’s ice sheet

Luxury or necessity? Five questions about air conditioning in Switzerland and around the world

This content was published on Aug 11, 2025 As heatwaves become more intense and frequent, sales of air conditioners are booming. But this has consequences for the climate and electricity consumption.

A woman speaking into a microphone with an airport in the background.

Truth or tale: is Switzerland injecting harmful chemicals into the sky?

This content was published on Aug 2, 2025 We received a number of social media comments referencing the “chemtrails” conspiracy theory, but is that true?

Volunteers collect waste (mostly plastic and Styrofoam) on the shores of Lake Geneva.

In Geneva, global accord in sight on plastics pollution

This content was published on Jul 29, 2025 Geneva is set to host final talks on a global treaty to curb plastics pollution. But major sticking points remain.

Silent power guzzlers: Switzerland’s booming data centres

What is the future of glacier tourism in a world with less ice?

This content was published on Jul 23, 2025 Climate change puts glacier tourism at risk. How can this vital industry be saved for local communities? Here are some adaptation strategies.

Fading fast: the final years of East Africa’s glaciers

Beyond tariffs: how Switzerland turned trade talks into climate action with Mercosur

This content was published on Jul 18, 2025 After eight years, EFTA and Mercosur have a deal. But with such agreements facing public scrutiny, negotiators were keen to include protections – including environmental ones.

Risks remain as Switzerland weighs return to nuclear power

This content was published on Jul 17, 2025 Switzerland reconsiders nuclear power amid climate goals, but experts warn of hidden risks that show the complexities of clean energy today.

Why climate change and wars are reviving interest in nuclear energy

This content was published on Jul 17, 2025 Is the Fukushima effect over? Here’s why there is renewed interest around the atom and which nations want to build new nuclear power plants.

Climate change puts Swiss tourism to the test

This content was published on Jul 16, 2025 Climate change threatens tourism in Switzerland – and is partly caused by it. How can the industry become more sustainable?

New hope for cable cars and mountain huts threatened by permafrost collapse

This content was published on Jul 16, 2025 A novel scientific solution being developed in Switzerland aims to stabilise mountain infrastructure endangered by climate change.

Stabilising permafrost in the Swiss Alps

Permafrost thawing: protecting endangered mountain infrastructure in the Swiss Alps

This content was published on Jul 16, 2025 Elizaveta Sharaborova, a Swiss-based researcher, explains how her solar-powered prototype can stabilise thawing permafrost threatening Alpine infrastructure.

Climate misinformation is ‘muddying waters’ and delaying urgent action, experts warn

Extreme heat and drought are Switzerland’s top climate change risks

This content was published on Jul 10, 2025 Swiss authorities have identified dozens of climate-related risks in the coming decades. Swissinfo looks at the top heat and drought threats.

Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world

This content was published on Jul 10, 2025 Switzerland is particularly affected by climate change, with temperatures rising faster than in most other countries.

AI giants accused of hiding environmental footprint

This content was published on Jul 8, 2025 The boom in artificial intelligence (AI) comes with environmental costs that are still largely hidden.

Fibre optics on glaciers open new frontiers for natural disaster predictions

This content was published on Jun 29, 2025 The fibre-optic cables we use to surf the Internet and make phone calls could help us predict a landslide or the collapse of a glacier.

Opinion

Climate scientist: overhyped carbon removal risks delaying urgent climate action

Saving lives in the shadow of melting giants

This content was published on Jun 25, 2025 As climate change threatens the Himalayas, Switzerland brings its Alpine disaster prevention expertise to India.

Five unusual places to install solar panels in Switzerland

The devastating glacier collapse in Blatten: what next?

This content was published on Jun 13, 2025 Two weeks after a landslide wiped out most of the Alpine village of Blatten, talk of reconstruction is picking up, but huge challenges remain.

Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?

Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?

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Jun 13, 2025

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In Blatten, in the Lötschental valley in Valais, an estimated nine million cubic metres of ice, mud and rock crashed down a nearby mountain on May 28, wiping out the village. The few houses that remained intact were later flooded.

Blatten: what price for preserving Swiss mountain life?

This content was published on Jun 11, 2025 Swiss debates on preserving Alpine life have intensified following the Blatten glacier collapse. Discover the discussion shaping mountain village futures.

Opinion

Swiss climate scientist: CO2 removal is tricky but essential

This content was published on Jun 11, 2025 Initiatives to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air are faltering – not because they don’t work, but because we fail to see opportunities and lack vision, says Swiss climate scientist Cyril Brunner.

How does your country prepare for and respond to natural disasters?

Have you experienced natural disasters in your country of residence? How are these events predicted and responded to?

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Jun 6, 2025

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Climate refugees left in legal limbo

This content was published on Jun 3, 2025 “Climate refugees” are not recognised by international law. Should a new status be created to protect them?

The seven worst landslides in Swiss history

This content was published on Jun 2, 2025 A photo essay looking at some of the biggest landslide disasters in Swiss history.

What Trump’s climate science crackdown means for global forecasts

This content was published on May 28, 2025 Experts warn that cuts to US scientific agencies would hurt other nations’ abilities to accurately forecast the weather.

Why Iceland is becoming a glacier graveyard

This content was published on May 25, 2025 Iceland’s glaciers are among the fastest melting in the world. This causes not only the sea level but also the ground to rise.