Switzerland Today
Here are the latest news and stories from Switzerland on Thursday!
In the news: SNB, Swiss watches and ageing workers
- The Swiss National Bank (SNB)’s mission is not to make the world greener but to meet monetary policy goals, bank official Andrea Maechler told an event in Zurich. The central bank regularly faces criticism over its fossil fuel investments.
- The Swiss watchmaking industry has recovered well, reporting 40% growth over the past 12 monthsExternal link. Demand for Swiss watches has mainly come from China, the United States and Hong Kong. But the “post-pandemic” upswing has not benefited all companies in the same way.
- One in three Swiss workers was over the age of 50 in 2020, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The unemployment rate for people in the 50-64 age bracket is lower than those between 25 and 49.
Could Switzerland face an energy crisis in the future?
The current global energy crisisExternal link is a wake-up call for many governments to invest more to avoid a future energy supply crunch. Switzerland is no exception. The question of where it gets its energy from in the future and possible power outages have sparked keen debate among politicians and business leaders.
Two weeks ago, the Swiss government shared its vision for coping with major power outages from 2025 in a brochure shared with 30,000 companies. It said firms could be ordered to reduce their electricity consumption by a specific percentage in the event of a shortage.
“A power shortage is, next to a pandemic, the greatest threat to Switzerland’s energy supply,” Economics Minister Guy Parmelin declared in a video.
Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga disagrees. She says it is unlikely Switzerland will face an acute energy shortage in the near future. But steps are needed to rule it out completely, she told the Tages-Anzeiger todayExternal link. Switzerland must expand the use of renewables, while companies operating Alpine dams and reservoirs will be obliged to retain water to produce electricity in winter and will be compensated accordingly.
“If these measures are insufficient, then – and only then – gas-fired power would become an option. But they must be climate-neutral,” said Sommaruga.
In today’s Tages-Anzeiger expertsExternal link also answer 15 questions on Switzerland’s energy supply.
Where are the “smartest” cities in the world?
Zurich (photo above), Lausanne and Geneva are some of the world’s leading “smart cities”, according to a rankingExternal link published by the Lausanne Business School IMD and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)External link today. Zurich came second behind Singapore, but ahead of Oslo and Taipei in the Smart Cities Index. Lausanne was ranked fifth and Geneva eighth.
But what exactly is a smart city? The term has become a buzzword, but it remains a “powerful” concept, according to Bruno Lanvin, who carried out the survey among 15,000 people around the world.
The idea of smart cities was launched by IBM in the 1980s and taken up by multinationals like Google and Apple and is widely used as a marketing tool.
The new assessment looks at economic and technological aspects focusing on health and safety, mobility, cultural activities, employment opportunities and governance. Zurich, Lausanne and Geneva stood out for their cultural activities, the quality of health services, the safety of citizens, education system and good universities.
The wolf has moved west
A wolf has been confirmedExternal link in canton Jura in western Switzerland – the first appearance of a Canis lupus in the region for 130 years. The DNA confirmation follows an attack on two goats near the town of St-Ursanne, the local authorities said on Wednesday. The wolf is thought to have transited via cantons Vaud, Geneva and the French Jura region.
With its status as a federally protected species, the wolf has been able to steadily reconquer Switzerland from the Alps to the Jura mountains in the space of thirty years. There are currently about 130 wolves and at least 11 packs in Switzerland.
But they remain controversial. Wolves kill 300-500 sheep and goats per year, according to the KORA foundation, which monitors carnivores in Switzerland. However, it is forbidden to shoot wolves in Switzerland without first obtaining permission from federal authorities.
In September 2020, voters rejected a proposal to grant cantons greater power to cull wolves that they deem problematic.
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