Cluster: Science

Putting Switzerland on record

This content was published on Aug 3, 2009 Everyone loves a record; we have the biggest, highest, longest, oldest… But does that necessarily mean the best? And why should we care? No one would seriously maintain that a waterfall becomes less beautiful or impressive if it turns out to be a few metres less high than a rival. And yet it’s difficult not…

Climate solutions

Bill for hailstorm damage continues to climb

This content was published on Jul 31, 2009 The Intercantonal Reinsurance Union estimates that damage from the storm could reach SFr300 million ($275 million), up from SFr80-120 million estimated earlier this week. That figure includes claims for property, vehicles and agriculture. Farmers have filed more than 5,000 claims for destroyed corn, potatoes and other crops. “Because of holidays, all claims have not been…

Climate solutions

Aletsch Glacier

This content was published on Jul 28, 2009 The Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps, is 23.6 km long and covers more than 120 square kilometres in southern Switzerland. The glacier is located in the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn area, which was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2001. (Film courtesy of Switzerland Tourism)

Forests continue conquest of countryside

This content was published on Jul 28, 2009 Around 31 per cent of the country’s surface area is blanketed by trees, and there has been an increase of nearly ten per cent in alpine areas since the mid 1990s. This dramatic change to the landscape is most evident in the southern canton of Ticino – more than 50 per cent of its surface…

Climate solutions

Households beat waste-recycling quota

This content was published on Jul 23, 2009 More than 270,000 tons of waste were collected according to a statement on Thursday by the Federal Environment Office. “The good result is all the more noteworthy since there was markedly higher consumption of beverages from PET bottles during the European football championships in Switzerland in June 2008,” the office said. Under the rules stipulated…

Climate solutions

No sign of missing children

This content was published on Jul 19, 2009 Switzerland suffered from a deluge of rain on Friday and Saturday, causing water levels to rise in some areas. A girl aged 11 years old and a six-month old boy were reported missing late on Friday evening. A four year old girl survived the accident. Officials believe that the three crossed a stream swollen by…

Wild-flower programme aims to bring back bees

This content was published on Jul 15, 2009 “The number of pollinating insects has declined significantly across Europe in recent years because of loss of feeding sites and breeding areas,” Jon Parr, head of Syngenta’s crop protection division, said in a statement. “Our aim is to help reverse this trend.” The programme, called Operation Pollinator, hopes to create an additional 10,000 hectares of…

Climate solutions

WWF warns of disappearing forests

This content was published on Jul 14, 2009 Forests in the cantons of Geneva, Jura, Ticino, Lucerne and Glarus are most at risk of being over exploited to meet global demands for wood in the coming years, according to a study released by the Swiss branch of WWF on Tuesday. Biodiversity could also be affected. The best protected and managed forests are in…

Climate solutions

Saharan solar project moves closer to reality

This content was published on Jul 14, 2009 The project, dubbed Desertec, has the backing of international heavyweights including Siemens, Deutsche Bank and ABB, the builders of Zurich’s power grid. At a meeting in Munich on Tuesday, German utility companies, United States solar energy entrepreneurs and Swiss transmission experts ABB signed a memorandum of understanding with a dozen groups to analyse and develop…

Climate solutions

A trailblazer remembered

This content was published on Jul 14, 2009 Largely through trading activities, he amassed a fortune that can hardly be dreamed of today. As one popular guide book puts it, in an age when it took an ordinary person ten years to earn enough to buy a single cow, Stockalper could have bought cattle to stretch all the way through Valais and on…

Cluster: Science

Popular Stories

Most Discussed