Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
In an advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has defined climate protection as a human right for the first time. What does this mean for Switzerland?
Thursday’s briefing also looks at the Chikunginya virus, screen time stats for young children, and urban trees, which are important for the climate – but which can pose safety risks.
Enjoy the read!
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has defined climate protection as a human right for the first time. What does this mean for Switzerland?
In an interview with SRF News, Swiss environmental ambassador Franz Perrez from the foreign ministry explained that the legal opinion states that all countries are obliged to protect the climate.
It also makes it clear that “responsibilities are assessed on the basis of today’s reality and not on the basis of the past”, Perrez said. In the case of – for example – big emerging economies like China and Saudi Arabia, it’s not past economic or developmental status but rather current circumstances that determine what is considered a developing country.
The legal opinion increases the pressure to do more for the climate, “probably not specifically on Switzerland, but on those countries with very high emissions”, said Perrez. Meanwhile, the successful legal approach of a group of Swiss elderly women at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg a year ago now looks to have been confirmed in principle.
After the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday of a global epidemic of the Chikunginya virus, which is spread by tiger mosquitoes, the topic continues to occupy the Swiss media.
The main questions are whether the virus is coming to Switzerland and, if so, what needs to be done. According to the Federal Office of Public Health, there have been 30 imported cases of Chikungunya from travellers returning to Switzerland this year. This is slightly more than twice as many as in the same period last year. However, there has never been a case of direct virus transmission in the country.
The situation is different around 100 kilometres from Basel, in a French municipality near Strasbourg. There, a person apparently contracted the virus after being bitten by an infected mosquito – and without having been abroad beforehand. Tobias Suter from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel says: “I think the risk of major outbreaks in Switzerland is very low. However, there could be individual locally transmitted cases, as we are currently seeing in France or Italy.”
According to the WHO, the best way to protect against the virus is to avoid being bitten. However, the most effective way to minimise viral diseases is to reduce breeding sites for tiger mosquitoes.
How much time should young children spend in front of a smartphone, tablet or TV? A study by, among others, the Lausanne School of Social Work and Health shows how Swiss parents deal with this question.
Based on the responses of 4,200 parents, the researchers analysed the use of devices like smartphones and tablets by children up to the age of five. This includes making phone calls, listening to music or audio stories, or playing games on consoles. The result: three-quarters of those between two and five have habits in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) – i.e. less than one hour of screen time per day.
The situation is more complicated for children under two. Here, the recommendation of zero screen time is exceeded by 60%, with an average of 20 minutes per day being spent in front of some screen.
However, study lead Nevena Dimitrova put this into perspective: “As long as this time does not prevent the fulfilment of one of the four basic needs of the child […] and the content is appropriate for the age, around twenty minutes of screen time daily does not endanger harmonious development,” she told the Le Temps newspaper.
The study further emphasises the role of audio. “Listening provides limited stimulation and has many benefits, as it promotes concentration and imagination,” said Dimitrova.
They give shade, cool down the environment, produce oxygen and are often just good for you. But trees in cities can also bring safety risks.
That’s why urban trees should be inspected regularly. But not every tree categorised as a safety risk has to be felled, specialist Fabian Dietrich told SRF News. “Hollow trees are considered dangerous, as are trees infested with fungi – but that’s wrong,” he said. Many trees can in fact cope with fungi without any problems.
However, climate change also poses a challenge for urban trees. Drought and storms can make them more susceptible to damage. The city of Thun is thus experimenting with new types of trees which are better able to cope with climate change.
To ensure both conservation and safety, tree care specialist Rolf Röthlisberger prioritises three things: continuous monitoring, professional care and smart decisions.
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