Navigation

Swiss CO2 emissions: Small country, big footprint

The reality of climate change in Switzerland

In landlocked Switzerland temperatures are rising faster than in regions which benefit from the ocean’s cooling effect. The first video in our two-part series shows how climate change is affecting the Swiss landscape, economy and people.

This content was published on October 29, 2021 - 09:00

While average global temperatures are 0.85 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Switzerland has seen an increase of two degrees over the same period. Since 1850, its glaciers have lost 60% of their volume. As they continue to melt, the country risks losing an important reservoir, affecting farming, hydropower production and transport on Europe’s main waterways.

Meanwhile, the Swiss travel a lot by train, and Swiss trains run on hydroelectric power. But high levels of convenience and consumption of imported goods jack up the national carbon footprint. How does Switzerland compare to other countries? Find out in this video.
 

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.

Change your password

Do you really want to delete your profile?

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

Discover our weekly must-reads for free!

Sign up to get our top stories straight into your mailbox.

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.