Carbon Brief’s analysis of disaster data reveals that extreme weather events in Africa have killed at least 4,000 people and affected a further 19 million since the start of 2022. However, these impacts, particularly those associated with heat waves, are often not recorded, so the true figures are likely to be much higher.
On October 26, the non-governmental organizations Notre affaire à tous, Friends of the Earth and Oxfam France, which have been warning of the responsibility of finance in the climate crisis for ten years, took the first step towards an unprecedented legal action against BNP Paribas. The three NGOs put the bank on notice to immediately cease financial support for new fossil fuel projects and to comply with the objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, trapping more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it enters the atmosphere. Although this power diminishes over time as it decomposes, this means that emissions have a more immediate impact on global warming. This new tool should make it possible to identify methane sources in places that are usually unexplored, and to find solutions.
L’Occitane was singled out on one of the dreaded Cash Investigation shows for working through intermediaries with Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil suppliers who exploit children. These revelations are highly embarrassing for the cosmetics group, which enjoys a brand image that is committed to environmental and social issues.
The Rhaetian Railway (RhB) announced that it had broken the world record for the length of a passenger train, at an event marking the 175th anniversary of the Swiss railway system. The almost 2-kilometer-long train, made up of 25 assembled units, covered 25 kilometers in less than 45 minutes between Preda and Alvaneu, in the canton of Grisons.
The study reveals that of the 51 million tonnes of plastic waste generated by American households in 2021, only 5% will be recycled. Recycling rates are falling even as production rises, and industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy are described as “fiction”. The report discusses five reasons why plastic recycling is a “failed concept”.
Over 2.8 million tonnes of food are thrown away every year in Switzerland, and major retailers contribute to this waste by offering quantity discounts on meat, which encourage consumers to buy too much. The Federal Council wishes to adopt concrete measures to regulate quantity discounts, particularly on perishable goods such as meat products.
In the face of the climate emergency, more and more activists are realizing that they can no longer content themselves with protesting wisely in front of their country’s parliament, and that they need to move on to more radical actions to bring about the change to action they so desperately need. Media attention is usually negative, but the message may still be making its way into people’s minds.
The two founders shared a common observation: the gap between what companies say about sustainability and what they actually do in the field. They identified a niche in the footwear market and decided to create a brand of sneakers, setting themselves the goal of investing the 70% of the budget usually devoted to advertising by traditional brands in the supply chain.
The installation of solar panels in the Swiss Alps could generate almost 16 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity per year, according to several studies. This corresponds to around half of the solar energy that Switzerland plans to produce each year by 2050. Proponents of these projects believe they can accelerate the energy transition, but they face stiff opposition from nature conservation organizations.
