What would our childhoods be like without it, sheltering our games of hide-and-seek, offering its branches to our swings, or to our feet when we decided to climb higher and higher; without it populating the tales our parents told us in the evenings before bedtime? It adorns parks, botanical gardens, estate promenades and allotments. It’s so fast-growing, majestic, protective and major despite its eternal greenness.
Larch is first and foremost a nostalgia for a time when gasoline had to be earned. We had to climb. On foot. Up to around 2000 meters, but as a child, that meant all the way to the sky.
At first, the oak fascinates our imagination, before we marvel at more scientific discoveries linked to its Latin name of Celtic origin, quercus, which means tree par excellence.
We have now entered a new era, that of conscious resignation, where employees prefer jobs offering fulfillment and positive impact over better pay, greater flexibility or greater well-being. It’s a challenge that companies have every interest in taking seriously.
What’s wrong with plastic? Unfortunately, the list is long. The massive and growing use of fossil fuels and chemicals that pollute the environment and our health, the 5 to 23 million tonnes of plastic dumped in the ocean every year that suffocate ecosystems and kill 100,000 marine mammals, not to mention the 400,000 to 1 million people who, according to estimates by the Tearfund association, die every year from illnesses linked to poor waste management, in particular the toxic fumes emitted when plastic waste is burned. Plastic enters the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. In this article, we explore the challenges posed by plastic pollution and the actions being taken to curb it.
Guided by a resolutely optimistic spirit, we believe in the power of collective action to preserve our planet. This selection of inspiring content is an invitation to be informed without constraint and to commit to the climate, because we are convinced that every step counts in building a sustainable and promising future for our world. Definitely captivating, without a hint of boredom!
The ocean, which covers 71% of the planet’s surface, is a kind of control center that has sustained life on Earth since its origin. Since 1870, the start of the pre-industrial era, it has sequestered 155 billion tonnes of CO2. It absorbs over 90% of the energy surplus caused by the increased concentration of man-made greenhouse gases (GHGs), and sequesters around a quarter of the CO2 emitted by humans every year. So far, the ocean has made it possible to slow the pace of climate change on the one hand, and the violence of the impacts generated by this change on the other. Without the magic of this natural mechanism, we would already be overwhelmed by unbearable heat.
The scandal surrounding prohibited treatments for Nestlé mineral water has spread to Switzerland, with the revelation that the Henniez brand also used unauthorized depollution processes. Nestlé Waters acknowledged that it had resorted to illegal practices, including the use of activated carbon filters, which were discontinued at the end of 2022 under the supervision of the Swiss cantonal and federal authorities. The case, which has already affected the French brands Perrier, Contrex and Vittel, raises the question of consumer deception, since the waters claim to be mineral, i.e. without treatment or additives, in line with Swiss requirements. An investigation in France revealed that bottled water from many brands had been secretly purified illegally. The French Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a deception investigation against Nestlé Waters, seeking to determine whether the description “natural mineral water” is misleading, given the ban on disinfection devices for this category of water.
A recent study reveals that global warming has already exceeded 1.5°C and could exceed 2°C this decade, suggesting that climate change is advancing faster than previously thought. Based on the analysis of marine sponge skeletons, which provide a 300-year temperature record, this research shows that warming began earlier than estimated by the IPCC, with an average warming of at least 1.7°C since pre-industrial times. Published in Nature Climate Change, the study questions the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C, underlining the heightened urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid even more severe climate consequences.
The Oslo District Court in Norway has made a landmark decision in the fight against climate change, requiring energy companies to consider the industry’s total carbon footprint when awarding oil and gas licenses. The decision, which invalidated three licenses held by companies such as Equinor and Aker BP for failing to take downstream emissions into account, represents a major victory for environmental campaigners. It highlights companies’ responsibility for the emissions resulting from the combustion of their products. The need to include downstream emissions in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) could radically change the way licenses are granted, not only in Norway but potentially worldwide, forcing governments and industries to reconsider the climate impact of fossil fuel production. This decision could inspire similar legal challenges in other countries, underlining the urgency of aligning the exploitation of fossil resources with global climate objectives.
A groundbreaking UN report, examined by the Guardian, predicts a 60% increase in global extraction of raw materials by 2060, with serious repercussions for the climate and environment, exacerbated by industrialization, urbanization and population growth. Pointing out that such extraction is already a major cause of global warming, air pollution, water stress and biodiversity loss, the report stresses the need to reduce overall demand for resources rather than focusing solely on increasing green production. It suggests measures such as teleworking, improved local services and low-carbon transport options as alternatives for meeting mobility needs while minimizing environmental impact. By focusing on “systemic resource efficiency”, the report aims to promote equity and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, marking a holistic approach to tackling the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution by reducing resource consumption.
After four years of destruction in the Brazilian Amazon, deforestation fell by 33.6% in the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term of office, according to new government satellite data. After three weeks of intense debate on seabed mining within the International Seabed Authority (ISA), no green light was finally given to the industry. However, there was no discussion of a moratorium on mining either.
Skin cancer is on the rise, and in many countries is the most common form of cancer. While protection against the harmful effects of UV rays has become a priority for health-conscious consumers, experts differ on the necessity and consequences of regular sunscreen use. Those who advise daily application do not systematically mention the risks associated with the penetration of sunscreens beyond the skin, or the environmental fallout.
Nicolas is co-founder and CEO of ID Genève, a new identity in the world of watchmaking, which strives to prove that luxury, watchmaking expertise and sustainability are not mutually exclusive concepts, but can on the contrary generate a new vision of watchmaking that responds to the challenges of our time, provided we have the courage to question our achievements and explore new avenues, sometimes beyond the boundaries of the industry. His utopia? A world without plastic. His motto? Total transparency with maximum accountability.
Now it’s the turn of Marie, founder of La Mèche, to sell us her wick. In this interview, she shares with us a little of the vision she wanted to instill in the creation of this ecosystem designed to inform, connect and support the players involved in change. She also shares his vision of responsibility as an individual and as a company, and his vision of a society that would give itself the means to transform itself in depth to create a biocentric, regenerative and equitable world.
Paul Merz is behind the rebirth of Motosacoche, a legendary Geneva motorcycle brand created at the beginning of the last century. In 2021, the brand joins the ecological transition by offering a new sustainable, high-performance mobility machine, a reissue of the revolutionary Type-A in an electric version. Paul gives us his vision of sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in general, as this is not his first venture: a very realistic and pragmatic vision, imbued with strong values and convictions.
