Cluster: Science

Heavy spring snowfall cuts off villages

This content was published on Apr 29, 2009 The Simplon Pass – one of Switzerland’s major north-south arteries – was closed to traffic on Wednesday after 1.5 metres of snow fell on the south side of the pass. Phone lines were also down for several hours. Authorities additionally reported road closures in the Goms region in the eastern part of canton Valais, as…

Climate solutions

Electric car challenges gas guzzling mentality

This content was published on Apr 19, 2009 The e’mo car aims to tap into the growing demand for ecological vehicles and the ongoing fad for trendy gadgets. It is hoped that car owners will snap it up as a second, run-a-round vehicle for short daily trips. The project leader, professor Markus Henne at the Technical University of Rapperswil, told swissinfo that he…

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Sino-Swiss visit aims to tighten energy ties

This content was published on Apr 17, 2009 His first day in the country included a visit to the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River and a meeting with the Chinese minister for water. Leuenberger admitted to being impressed by the “enormous scale” of the dam, which he said protected millions of people from flooding and produced renewable energy, helping to cut…

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Greenhouse gas emissions decline

This content was published on Apr 16, 2009 The findings were part of the current greenhouse gas inventory for Switzerland, which was passed to the United Nations on Wednesday. Figures for 2007 and 2006 show that greenhouse gas emissions from heating fuels in particular went down by nine per cent. About a third of the drop can be attributed to the very mild…

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Swiss show themselves to be bear friendly

This content was published on Apr 14, 2009 Once numerous in Switzerland, brown bears have been making a comeback since 2005, wandering in from neighbouring Italy. But the last one, JJ3, was shot after it became dangerous to humans. “The survey reveals that overall 85 per cent of Swiss want the bear, saying it’s an Alpine animal and it belongs here. The same…

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Glaciers continue to disappear

This content was published on Apr 4, 2009 Although the winter of 2007 was one of the snowiest ever – with many stations reporting record snowfalls – this was cancelled out by a hot summer. The Gorner Glacier alone shrank by 290 metres. “The measurements confirm once again the ongoing glacial retreat observed over recent years,” Andreas Bauder, a glaciologist at the institute,…

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Black drink saves from white death

This content was published on Apr 1, 2009 From Wednesday the barrels round the necks of the Swiss Alpine Club’s 135 official mountain rescue dogs will be replaced by miniature Nespresso-style coffee machines. “It was a purely business decision,” said Jörg Ettinghadt from the Swiss Alpine Club. “The global financial crisis has meant we’ve got to either cut back the number of dogs…

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As climate changes, so do borders

This content was published on Mar 30, 2009 A line of around 750km, established in 1861 and fixed based on data from 1940, would have to be adjusted on account of rapidly melting snow and ice in the high Alps, including in an area around the famed Matterhorn. But the issue of redrawing a small section of the divide between the countries –…

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Cities turn out lights in support of Earth Hour

This content was published on Mar 28, 2009 The authorities in Zurich, Basel, Bern and Lausanne switched off the floodlights bathing many monuments, bridges, churches and public buildings between 8.30 and 9.30pm. Zurich officials used the international campaign, organised by the environmental organisation, WWF, to promote the fact that residents voted in favour last year of setting as a goal reducing each person’s…

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Water tensions remain in the pipeline

This content was published on Mar 22, 2009 As United Nations World Water Day is marked, Spillmann says that water education from governments to households is key for tackling water shortages, as is global political action. This year the UN day’s theme is “Shared Water – Shared Opportunities”, with a focus on transboundary water issues. There are 263 transboundary lake and river basins…

Cluster: Science

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Cluster: Science

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Heavy spring snowfall cuts off villages

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Electric car challenges gas guzzling mentality

More

Sino-Swiss visit aims to tighten energy ties

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Greenhouse gas emissions decline

More

Swiss show themselves to be bear friendly

More

Glaciers continue to disappear

More

Black drink saves from white death

More

As climate changes, so do borders

More

Cities turn out lights in support of Earth Hour

More

Water tensions remain in the pipeline

Popular Stories

Most Discussed