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S U B S C R I B E
WRS stories about environment
Greenpeace calls Swiss nuclear phaseout 'great news'
Thursday, 29 September, 2011
Thursday, 29 September, 2011
With the Swiss nuclear phaseout now official after both houses of Parliament voted in favor of the move, WRS’s Dave Goodman gets reaction from Florian Kasser, who’s a nuclear campaigner for Greenpeace Switzerland:
Energy minister triumphs with nuclear power phaseout
Thursday, 29 September, 2011
It’s now official—Switzerland will phase out its nuclear power plants. The Council of states voted 30 to 9 on Wednesday in favour of a text calling for no new nuclear power plants to be built. The end to nuclear power garnered wide support in both houses after Doris Leuthard, the minister in charge of energy, spent weeks trying to convince Christian Democrat colleagues to support a nuclear phaseout. WRS’s Jordan Davis spoke to her as she she left the Council of States chambers:
Thursday, 29 September, 2011
It’s now official—Switzerland will phase out its nuclear power plants. The Council of states voted 30 to 9 on Wednesday in favour of a text calling for no new nuclear power plants to be built. The end to nuclear power garnered wide support in both houses after Doris Leuthard, the minister in charge of energy, spent weeks trying to convince Christian Democrat colleagues to support a nuclear phaseout. WRS’s Jordan Davis spoke to her as she she left the Council of States chambers:
Climate change progress 'not a pretty sight'
Friday, 23 September, 2011
The Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases expires next year. For many observers it appears the political will to find something to take its place has ebbed away after no agreement came out the Copenhagen climate summit of 2009. One group aiming to reinvigorate the international response to climate change is the Climate Change Task Force, hosted by the Green Cross. The task force is meeting this weekend and will hear from, among others, Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government. Adam Koniuszewski is the project leader of the Climate Change Task Force. WRS’s Pete Forster asked him if—in terms of global politics—climate change progress is dead in the water:
Friday, 23 September, 2011
The Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases expires next year. For many observers it appears the political will to find something to take its place has ebbed away after no agreement came out the Copenhagen climate summit of 2009. One group aiming to reinvigorate the international response to climate change is the Climate Change Task Force, hosted by the Green Cross. The task force is meeting this weekend and will hear from, among others, Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government. Adam Koniuszewski is the project leader of the Climate Change Task Force. WRS’s Pete Forster asked him if—in terms of global politics—climate change progress is dead in the water:
Vevey weighs in on plastic bag debate
Thursday, 22 September, 2011
Plastic bags handed out in shops are still an environmental problem, according to the city of Vevey in canton Vaud. So it’s launched a project to encourage customers to buy reusable bags. But critics wonder if its the best use of public funds. Lucas Chambers reports:
Thursday, 22 September, 2011
Plastic bags handed out in shops are still an environmental problem, according to the city of Vevey in canton Vaud. So it’s launched a project to encourage customers to buy reusable bags. But critics wonder if its the best use of public funds. Lucas Chambers reports:
A vet's life with endangered orangutans in Sumatra
Thursday, 15 September, 2011
Imagine swapping the calm, ordered lifestyle of a Swiss city for the jungle of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is a place where where many thousands of different species of animals and birds live. And it is also troubled by the devastation wreaked by severe earthquakes and huge tsunamis. A Swiss vet packed up his life and family to live on the island for six months. WRS’s Jo Fahy talked to Jean-Michel Hatt from Zurich University’s Zoo and Exotic Animal Clinic:
Thursday, 15 September, 2011
Imagine swapping the calm, ordered lifestyle of a Swiss city for the jungle of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is a place where where many thousands of different species of animals and birds live. And it is also troubled by the devastation wreaked by severe earthquakes and huge tsunamis. A Swiss vet packed up his life and family to live on the island for six months. WRS’s Jo Fahy talked to Jean-Michel Hatt from Zurich University’s Zoo and Exotic Animal Clinic:
Bern volleys 30 cent per liter gas tax
Tuesday, 13 September, 2011
Should drivers pay more at the pump to help Switzerland meet its goal of 20 percent fewer CO2 emissions by the end of the decade? MPs in the National Council take up the question this morning. Filling up at the pump would cost around 30 cents more per liter if the tax were enacted. It’s been at the heart of a legislative back and forth between Parliament’s two houses. Environmentalists back the idea as the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but many are wary. WRS’s Dave Goodman gets the latest from our political reporter Jordan Davis who’s at the Federal Palace in Bern:
Tuesday, 13 September, 2011
Should drivers pay more at the pump to help Switzerland meet its goal of 20 percent fewer CO2 emissions by the end of the decade? MPs in the National Council take up the question this morning. Filling up at the pump would cost around 30 cents more per liter if the tax were enacted. It’s been at the heart of a legislative back and forth between Parliament’s two houses. Environmentalists back the idea as the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but many are wary. WRS’s Dave Goodman gets the latest from our political reporter Jordan Davis who’s at the Federal Palace in Bern:
Pollution's deadly toll on Swiss fish
Monday, 12 September, 2011
Ever wonder which fish live in Switzerland’s lakes and what their presence says about the health of our lakes? These are the questions a team of biologists have been trying to answer since last year. They’ve been talking to fishermen and taking down all the data required to meet EU standards for a biodiversity survey. And they are finding that some fish species are vanishing. WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports:
Monday, 12 September, 2011
Ever wonder which fish live in Switzerland’s lakes and what their presence says about the health of our lakes? These are the questions a team of biologists have been trying to answer since last year. They’ve been talking to fishermen and taking down all the data required to meet EU standards for a biodiversity survey. And they are finding that some fish species are vanishing. WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports:
ABE gets rolling with electric bikes
Thursday, 1 September, 2011
Our new consumer show, an English translation of TSR’s popular TV programme A Bon Entendeur, kicks off with a report on electric bicycles—from the advantages climbing up those steep Swiss hills and whizzing through gridlocked city streets to one big inherent danger: speed. Plus the winners and losers as the team tests 13 e-bikes available on the market. Download/Print Test Results (PDF)
Thursday, 1 September, 2011
Our new consumer show, an English translation of TSR’s popular TV programme A Bon Entendeur, kicks off with a report on electric bicycles—from the advantages climbing up those steep Swiss hills and whizzing through gridlocked city streets to one big inherent danger: speed. Plus the winners and losers as the team tests 13 e-bikes available on the market. Download/Print Test Results (PDF)
Instructors share secrets of 'eco-driving'
Wednesday, 24 August, 2011
You can burn up to 15 percent less fuel by driving better. That’s according to so-called eco-driving coaches who train some 80,000 people a year in Switzerland to do just that. Classes have been compulsory for all new drivers since 2005. WRS’s Lucas Chambers went along for a ride and came back with a few tips to challenge what some of us might think we know:
Wednesday, 24 August, 2011
You can burn up to 15 percent less fuel by driving better. That’s according to so-called eco-driving coaches who train some 80,000 people a year in Switzerland to do just that. Classes have been compulsory for all new drivers since 2005. WRS’s Lucas Chambers went along for a ride and came back with a few tips to challenge what some of us might think we know:
New reservoirs needed to cope with melting glaciers, Swiss researcher says
Wednesday, 13 July, 2011
For years, alpine scientists have been warning of the impact of climate change on glaciers and rising sea levels. According to the Academy of Natural Sciences, 87 of Switzerland’s 91 glaciers receded last year. Experts at the University of Fribourg have measured the extent of glacial meltwater flowing into some of Europe’s biggest rivers. Speaking to WRS’s Catherine Allen, glaciologist Matthias Huss says new reservoirs are needed in the Swiss Alps to delay water runoff:
Wednesday, 13 July, 2011
For years, alpine scientists have been warning of the impact of climate change on glaciers and rising sea levels. According to the Academy of Natural Sciences, 87 of Switzerland’s 91 glaciers receded last year. Experts at the University of Fribourg have measured the extent of glacial meltwater flowing into some of Europe’s biggest rivers. Speaking to WRS’s Catherine Allen, glaciologist Matthias Huss says new reservoirs are needed in the Swiss Alps to delay water runoff:
Swiss biofuel firm under fire in Sierra Leone
Tuesday, 28 June, 2011
Addax Bioenergy, a Swiss company growing sugarcane in Sierra Leone to produce biofuel for the European market, is facing criticism from non-governmental organizations for duping local farmers. The firm, which signed a 50-year lease for 14,000 hectares of farmland in the African country, says it is the victim of a smear campaign. Addax launched its project saying that it would not conflict with local farmers, who traded their land for promises of new schools and hospitals. However, NGOs accuse the company of failing to live up to many of those promises, an accusation Addax strongly disputes. WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports:
Tuesday, 28 June, 2011
Addax Bioenergy, a Swiss company growing sugarcane in Sierra Leone to produce biofuel for the European market, is facing criticism from non-governmental organizations for duping local farmers. The firm, which signed a 50-year lease for 14,000 hectares of farmland in the African country, says it is the victim of a smear campaign. Addax launched its project saying that it would not conflict with local farmers, who traded their land for promises of new schools and hospitals. However, NGOs accuse the company of failing to live up to many of those promises, an accusation Addax strongly disputes. WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports:
'Mr. Geothermal' says earth's heat could help replace Swiss nuclear power
Monday, 20 June, 2011
With Switzerland preparing a likely exit from nuclear power, a variety of alternative energy sources are being looked at, including solar, wind and hydro power. But another technology less often talked about may help fill the gap. Several Swiss cities, including St Gallen and Geneva, are embarking on geothermal projects to harness the heat of the earth’s crust. Experts say the technology has the potential to replace a couple of nuclear plants but more money is needed for research. Georges Theiler, a Liberal party member of parliament, is known in Bern as “Mr. Geothermal” for his advocacy of the technology and his newest book, Geothermal: The Alternative, was released last week. WRS’s Jordan Davis talks to him:
Monday, 20 June, 2011
With Switzerland preparing a likely exit from nuclear power, a variety of alternative energy sources are being looked at, including solar, wind and hydro power. But another technology less often talked about may help fill the gap. Several Swiss cities, including St Gallen and Geneva, are embarking on geothermal projects to harness the heat of the earth’s crust. Experts say the technology has the potential to replace a couple of nuclear plants but more money is needed for research. Georges Theiler, a Liberal party member of parliament, is known in Bern as “Mr. Geothermal” for his advocacy of the technology and his newest book, Geothermal: The Alternative, was released last week. WRS’s Jordan Davis talks to him:
Conserving power could replace nuclear plants, says energy group
Thursday, 9 June, 2011
Through energy efficiency and conservation, Switzerland could save the same amount of electricity produced by the country’s five nuclear plants, experts say. The plants currently produce about 40 percent of Swiss power needs. With a nuclear future looking uncertain in Switzerland, reducing the appetite for electricity could turn out to be far more important than producing green energy, as WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports:
Thursday, 9 June, 2011
Through energy efficiency and conservation, Switzerland could save the same amount of electricity produced by the country’s five nuclear plants, experts say. The plants currently produce about 40 percent of Swiss power needs. With a nuclear future looking uncertain in Switzerland, reducing the appetite for electricity could turn out to be far more important than producing green energy, as WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports:
Bern lawmakers from lower house endorse nuclear phase-out
Thursday, 9 June, 2011
The National Council, the lower house of parliament, yesterday voted strongly in favour of a nuclear phase-out in Switzerland. Members of parliament from the left and the centre threw their support behind the government’s plan to close the country’s nuclear reactors by 2034. There are still many steps before that plan becomes law. But the vote yesterday is being hailed as a strong political signal. WRS’s Jordan Davis reports:
Thursday, 9 June, 2011
The National Council, the lower house of parliament, yesterday voted strongly in favour of a nuclear phase-out in Switzerland. Members of parliament from the left and the centre threw their support behind the government’s plan to close the country’s nuclear reactors by 2034. There are still many steps before that plan becomes law. But the vote yesterday is being hailed as a strong political signal. WRS’s Jordan Davis reports:
