Climate crisis, environment and social justice in Switzerland

A collective challenge, a shared responsibility

Climate disruption and the collapse of biodiversity are among the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. The choices made today will shape the living conditions of present and future generations. The consequences of our greenhouse gas emissions and of the degradation of ecosystems will be felt for centuries, even millennia, far beyond our own time.

And it’s not as if we didn’t know! (in French)

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The Earth seen from space — Credit: NASA / Apollo 11 Crew / Project Apollo Archive / Justin Cowart

Understanding these upheavals is not always easy. Scientific knowledge is advancing quickly, information is abundant and sometimes contradictory, while misconceptions and disinformation feed the confusion. How can we tell facts from opinions? How can we assess the real scale of the phenomena observed? How should we respond to the questions or the scepticism of family, colleagues or friends?

The scale of the challenge can also lead to discouragement or a feeling that it is too late to act. Yet scientific research shows that much of our future still depends on the decisions made today. A better understanding of the mechanisms at work makes it possible to identify the most effective actions, to measure what can still be preserved and to contribute, on one’s own scale, to the transformation of society. No one has to act alone: many associations, collectives and initiatives offer ways to get involved, exchange ideas and act together.

This site aims to inform, to explain, to make scientific knowledge accessible to everyone and to make it easier to connect with those who want to act.

Why Switzerland?

Although Switzerland accounts for only a small share of global CO₂ emissions, it bears a particular responsibility: its standard of living, its consumption-based carbon footprint, its financial and technological resources, and its political and economic influence give it considerable capacity to act. Switzerland obviously cannot solve climate disruption on its own, but it must do its share, all the more so since no global transition is possible if every country waits for the others to act first (read more: Why Switzerland? (in French)).

Our aim

Present data from the most recent scientific studies.
Bring information together in one place.
Allow newcomers to approach the subject step by step.
Offer the opportunity to explore a particular subject or theme in depth.
Make facts, figures and references easy to find, to support conversations with family, colleagues or a wide range of audiences.
Help those who want to go further in their search for knowledge, join existing groups or get involved in associations.

How?

Concise, accessible and regularly updated topic sheets make it easy to approach each subject.
Each topic sheet includes links to other sheets, scientific studies, press articles, videos and other resources for further reading.
Before publication, articles are reviewed by an editorial committee made up of several contributors, to ensure their quality, scientific rigour and clarity.

Who are we?

We are people with training or work related to science, or with a deep interest in the subjects covered.
Several contributors are also members of associations committed to defending the climate, the environment and social justice.

For whom?

This site is for everyone: the general public, journalists, university and school students, activists, elected representatives, policymakers, teachers, lawyers, and anyone who is curious.
It is also open to specialists and enthusiasts in climate and environmental issues who would like to cover a subject following the established structure of the topic sheets, or to submit an article for the blog.

Blog and columns

The Blog and Columns sections allow certain subjects to be addressed more freely. They give authors the opportunity to express personal analyses, reflections or positions, clearly distinct from the topic sheets.
Subjects must relate to the climate, the environment or any related issue: energy, health, psychology, philosophy, economics, social justice, biodiversity, adaptation, public policy, etc.
Contributions must respect the usual rules of public debate: rigour, respect for individuals, and no insulting, discriminatory, racist, defamatory or vulgar remarks.

Frequently asked questions

Short versions of selected answers from our FAQ. The full answers, with sources, are available in French.

“They’re just alarmists”

No. Climate projections published since the 1970s have proved broadly accurate, and warming in Switzerland is particularly marked: according to MeteoSwiss, the country is already about 2.9 °C warmer than in pre-industrial times (1871–1900), roughly twice the global average. Exxon’s internal projections from 1977 to 2003, long kept secret, were as accurate as independent scientific models, according to a study published in Science in 2023. Full answer (in French)

“Switzerland doesn’t have much to fear”

The federal government’s analysis of climate risks in Switzerland ranks public health and biodiversity first among the areas affected. The few expected benefits are small (lower heating and road maintenance costs, slightly higher yields for some crops); the vast majority of indicators (28 out of 34) are getting worse. The analysis does not include the consequences of risks abroad, or several risks occurring at the same time. Full answer (in French)

“Scientists don’t agree with each other”

The public debate over whether human-caused warming exists was largely fuelled by the fossil fuel industry, using the same methods previously used by the tobacco industry (“merchants of doubt”). On the substance, the scientific debate is closed: current warming is caused by human activities. Full answer (in French)

“The weather has always been unpredictable”

Weather and climate are not the same thing. Weather describes short-term conditions, which can vary greatly from one year to the next; climate is measured over several decades. Averaged over decades, air and ocean temperatures are rising clearly and very fast. Compared with what we know of the last few thousand years, such rapid warming is unprecedented. The retreat of glaciers shows it clearly. Full answer (in French)

“It’s the sun, cosmic rays or volcanoes”

These phenomena are well known and measured independently. None of them, alone or combined, explains the rapid and steady rise in temperatures since the start of the industrial era. Volcanic eruptions tend to cool the climate temporarily, and their activity has not increased in recent decades. Meanwhile, the CO₂ concentration has risen from about 280 ppmLa partie par million (le ppm), terme beaucoup utilisé en sciences (toxicologie, formulation, chimie, métallurgie, électronique, géochimie, etc. ), est la fraction valant 10, c'est-à-dire un millionième. On utilise surtout le ppm pour exprimer une fraction massique (1 ppm = 1 mg/kg ). More around 1850 to over 400 ppm, an increase that can only be explained by human emissions, especially the burning of fossil fuels. This is the conclusion of the IPCCLe GIEC (Groupe d’Experts Intergouvernemental sur l’Évolution du Climat) est une organisation qui a été créée en 1988 par l'OMM et le PNUE, à la demande du G7 (groupe de sept grandes économies industrialisées : USA, Japon, Allemagne, France, Royaume-Uni, Canada, Italie). La version anglaise de cet acronyme est IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). More reports. Full answer (in French)

“China and the US are the ones who need to cut emissions, we’re a small country”

Switzerland is small in population, but it is the world’s leading centre for cross-border wealth management and a major commodity trading hub. Through pension funds and the Swiss National Bank, capital managed from Switzerland finances fossil fuels on a large scale; according to one estimate, these investments generate around twenty times more CO₂ than the country’s domestic production. Per person, counting indirect emissions, Switzerland is among the largest emitters and therefore has a particular responsibility. Full answer (in French)

“We’re not going to die of heat!”

In some parts of the world, sadly, quite literally. The body cools itself by sweating, but when the air is too hot and humid, this no longer works. The wet-bulb temperature measures this limit: in theory, the survival limit is 35 °C, but laboratory measurements show that for young, healthy adults it is closer to 31 °C, and lower still for older or ill people. Such conditions will occur more and more often and for longer, especially in tropical regions, threatening millions of people without access to air conditioning, for example in India, Pakistan, Nigeria or Indonesia. Full answer (in French)

“What can we do right now?”

Action is needed at every level: individual, municipal, cantonal and national. In practice: ask your pension fund to divest from fossil fuels, learn more about climate issues, get involved in collectives (Climate Strike, Extinction Rebellion, Grands-Parents pour le Climat…), and draw on the proposals of the Advisory Body on Climate Change or the Climate Strike’s catalogue of measures. It also means rethinking our values: consuming ever more does not make us happy and is not compatible with the planet’s limits. Full answer (in French)