Consumption of non-renewable materials is rising so fast in Switzerland that it is putting at risk the stocks left for future generations.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch
A report into sustainable development, released by the Statistics Office on Monday in connection with the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, says the total material requirement in Switzerland has increased by more than 20 per cent since 1992.
However, the requirement per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) has declined by more than five per cent, “thanks to progress in industrial processes and increased recycling”.
One consequence of material consumption is that the production of urban waste increased by more than 30 per cent, and was far above the European Union average. But Switzerland collected 50 per cent more waste for recycling than the EU countries.
The report also says that although living conditions in Switzerland compare favourably by international standards, resources continue to be distributed unevenly. For example, in 2008 the richest 20 per cent of the Swiss population earned on average four times as much as the poorest 20 per cent – a situation which has not changed substantially since 2000. However, the gap is slightly less than the EU average.
Since 1992, there has been a marked rise in life expectancy in good health – up eight per cent for women and nine per cent for men. This is higher than the EU average. Almost 75 per cent of people said that they were very satisfied with their life in 2010.
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss take long, hard look at green policies
This content was published on
Swiss green policy is now intrinsically intertwined with international and European Union policy. But this poses a problem since multilateral attempts at coordinated global action are falling short, according to a report by the Federal Environment Office. It is “virtually impossible today” to formulate an independent environmental policy, it states. As such, “Switzerland, at the…
This content was published on
This development comes at a high cost to the economy and prevents the efficient use of resources. These are the key findings of a broad National Research Programme (NRP) study presented on Wednesday. Every second, one square metre of land is built over. And the attractiveness of Swiss town centres has pushed up the value…
This content was published on
Tourism in Switzerland is divided into hundreds of small enterprises. As a result the sector is economically greatly underrated. This is in contrast to the watch industry, for example, which is dominated by a few large brands known around the world. Worldwide, however, tourism is by far the biggest consumer industry. Resistant against global crises…
This content was published on
At the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18 about 200 countries are attempting to agree on a global climate accord. (Picture desk: Salome Weber, swissinfo.ch)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.