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Nine out of ten Swiss say they perceive the effects of climate change

butterfly on grass
A butterfly in canton Vaud: the loss of biodiversity tops the list of environmental concerns for the Swiss population. Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

A survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) also shows that the population is increasingly irritated by air pollution and noise generated by traffic.

More specifically, 41% of those surveyed said they perceived the climate to be changing significantly in Switzerland, while 48% reported slight changes, according to the 2023 survey on environmental issues – the fourth survey of its kind carried out by the FSO.

Another finding is that the proportion of people who report never flying by plane has risen, from 20% in 2019 to 26% last year.

+ Switzerland in 2050: portrait of a climate-neutral country

However, behaviour seems to have changed little in other areas, such as heating habits or checking the energy or sustainability score of products before buying them.

The loss of biodiversity and water shortages meanwhile top the list of environmental dangers perceived by the public. Nuclear power stations are viewed as less dangerous.

Translated from French by DeepL/dos

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