Cluster: Science

Sleeping munitions allowed to lie

This content was published on Oct 28, 2008 A study ordered by the ministry in 2004 found that clearing them up would cause more harm to the environment than leaving them where they are. Most of the items were dumped in the lakes of Thun and Brienz in the Bernese Oberland, and in two parts of Lake Lucerne. Experts found that the munitions…

Climate solutions

Sawdust slows rate of melting snow

This content was published on Oct 27, 2008 An experiment in the eastern resort of Davos found that a thick layer of sawdust reduced the rate of melting better than fleece, which is also used to conserve glaciers. “Both methods work, but the lower the snow level the greater the advantage of sawdust,” Hansueli Rhyner, the institute’s project leader, told swissinfo on Friday.…

Climate solutions

Swiss set to reach goals on greenhouse gas

This content was published on Oct 24, 2008 By 2012 the country will have reduced its net emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gasses by eight per cent compared with 1990 levels – a goal set when the treaty was ratified in 2003. In 1990 Switzerland had 52.8 million tonnes in net emissions. By 2012 the level should drop to…

Climate solutions

Forests need protection from climate change

This content was published on Oct 24, 2008 The delegation, meeting to mark European Forest Week, told policymakers and experts that climate change was becoming a major challenge for foresters and that greater government action was needed. Environmentalists were gathering all this week at the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe to understand the value of forests and how to…

Climate solutions

Black swans spell trouble

This content was published on Oct 24, 2008 The swans were imported from Australia in the 1980s by a breeder who was allowed to keep them in a restricted area on Lake Thun, south-east of the capital, Bern. To prevent them spreading, gamekeepers pierce any eggs found outside the permitted area. Swiss law forbids the release of imported species into the wild. But…

Map of building zones needs redrawing

This content was published on Oct 23, 2008 According to a report commissioned by the office, the amount of land available for new buildings is sufficient to provide homes for between 1.4 and 2.1 million extra people, which is more than the projected increase in population. However, much of this earmarked land is in rural areas, poorly served by public transport. The office…

Climate solutions

Green light for academic’s dream eco home

This content was published on Oct 23, 2008 The building, with four apartments, is the brainchild of Professor Hansjürg Leibundgut, chair of the Building Systems department at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. The permission granted by the Zurich City Council will enable him to fulfil a long held dream. Leibundgut says that while carbon neutral houses already exist in Switzerland, this…

Climate solutions

New pollution sources put lives at risk

This content was published on Oct 22, 2008 Two environmental groups, including Green Cross Switzerland, presented a list of the ten worst pollution problems in the world that primarily put children at risk of death, disability and chronic illnesses. The list includes new sources of toxins such as lead acid from battery recycling carried out in many developed countries to supplement meagre incomes.…

Climate solutions

Sauropods were big survivors

This content was published on Oct 9, 2008 Scientists think that the fact that these herbivores had many offspring, did not chew their food, had bird-like lungs and a flexible metabolic rate helped them dominate the earth for 100 million years. The results of a study by a multidisciplinary team which includes Marcus Clauss, a veterinarian from Zurich University, are published in the…

Salmon sighting kindles hopes of its return

This content was published on Oct 8, 2008 The 91 centimetre-long female salmon was reeled in from the Birs, a tributary of the River Rhine, photographed and then released, the Federal Environment Office said on Wednesday. Switzerland’s salmon population was wiped out in the 1950s after hydroelectric plants were built on the River Rhine, preventing the fish from reaching spawning zones. The size…

Cluster: Science

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Cluster: Science

More

Sleeping munitions allowed to lie

More

Sawdust slows rate of melting snow

More

Swiss set to reach goals on greenhouse gas

More

Forests need protection from climate change

More

Black swans spell trouble

More

Map of building zones needs redrawing

More

Green light for academic’s dream eco home

More

New pollution sources put lives at risk

More

Sauropods were big survivors

More

Salmon sighting kindles hopes of its return

Popular Stories

Most Discussed