Cluster: Science

Madagascan forests profit from Zurich zoo

This content was published on Oct 11, 2007 Ten years after starting its work at the African island state, the zoo has helped convert many farmers to conservation ideas. And four years ago it created its own replica rainforest in Zurich. The zoo invests $100,000 (SFr118,000) a year on a number of projects in Madagascar to provide park wardens and infrastructure in the…

Climate solutions

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This content was published on Oct 10, 2007 But the SFr52 million project has also cast a spotlight on the role of conservation. Some critics have questioned whether the money might have been better spent on saving a real rainforest rather than creating an artificial one. From special insulating material for the roof, to the planting of 17,000 species of plants, not to…

Tourism takes step to reduce carbon footprint

This content was published on Oct 3, 2007 Organisers of the conference, led by the United Nations and the Swiss government, said policies needed to be adapted to “encourage sustainable tourism reflecting environmental, social, economic and climate responsiveness”. In the Davos Declaration, published on the final day, representatives agreed that the concerns and needs of the tourist industry should be included in international…

Climate solutions

Tourist industry faces climate dilemma

This content was published on Oct 1, 2007 Industry representatives, headed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will discuss measures to adapt to global warming and reduce the industry’s large carbon footprint. The UNWTO admitted ahead of the three-day meeting that tourism was responsible for between four and six per cent of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions. With a total…

Climate solutions

Swiss welcome historic accord on ozone

This content was published on Sep 22, 2007 Thomas Kolly of the Federal Environment Office said the move, made at an international ozone protection conference in Montreal, sent out a good signal for the climate process as a whole. Delegates from 191 countries agreed to eliminate ozone-depleting substances faster than originally planned. “A deal which UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) believes is historic…

Climate solutions

Prehistoric find located beneath the waves

This content was published on Sep 10, 2007 Since it was made of wood scientists used dendrochronology – the technique of dating by tree rings – to give a precise figure of 3863 BC. The find in Lake Biel, northwest of the Swiss capital, Bern, was described as “sensational” by Albert Hafner, who is in charge of underwater archaeology in the region. Divers…

Climate solutions

Moorland protection “not good enough”

This content was published on Sep 7, 2007 Environmental organisations said on Friday that while most moorland had been listed, this “protection on paper” was unsatisfactory. The Rothenthurm Initiative was passed on December 6, 1987 – against the government’s recommendation – by 57.8 per cent of the Swiss public. Only two cantons, Valais and Schwyz, the very canton in which the commune of…

Climate solutions

Experts seek to preserve Europe’s water tower

This content was published on Aug 25, 2007 Christoph Plattner, chief scientific officer at the Mountain Water Network, tells swissinfo why the Swiss do not always appreciate this important natural resource that could be managed better. Plattner was taking part in the Mountain Water Network’s third annual meeting, held in Visp, canton Valais, on Friday. The network was originally set up in 2003…

Climate solutions

Volunteers strip off to fight climate change

This content was published on Aug 18, 2007 The photo shoot by New York artist Spencer Tunick, famous for his pictures of nude gatherings in public settings worldwide, was designed to draw attention to the effects of global warming on Switzerland’s shrinking glaciers. “The melting of the glaciers is an indisputable sign of global climate change,” said environmental group Greenpeace, which co-organised the…

Climate solutions

Melting glacier could draw tourists

This content was published on Aug 18, 2007 Rising temperatures are melting the ice and a lake is forming at the foot of the glacier, right next to the road over the Furka pass. Experts expect it to grow rapidly. The lake is just one more example of how Swiss glaciers are gradually melting away due to the effects of global warming. “This…

Cluster: Science

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Cluster: Science

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Madagascan forests profit from Zurich zoo

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Story_8302100

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Tourism takes step to reduce carbon footprint

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Tourist industry faces climate dilemma

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Swiss welcome historic accord on ozone

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Prehistoric find located beneath the waves

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Moorland protection “not good enough”

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Experts seek to preserve Europe’s water tower

More

Volunteers strip off to fight climate change

More

Melting glacier could draw tourists

Popular Stories

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