On 21 September 2019, ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, Switzerland and the Netherlands will present an initiative on how public and private investments can be tested for climate compatibility and aligned with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 1.5 °C target.

Neuchâtel, 16.07.2019 - With a total of 5.2 million m3, 11% more timber was harvested in 2018 than in the previous year. The clear increase is above all due to a severe bark beetle infestation resulting from a summer drought and damage from winter storms at the start of 2018.

During its meeting on 26 June 2019, the Federal Council held a discussion on a sustainable Swiss financial centre. It sees great opportunities for innovation and competitiveness in this area and has decided to set up a working group to carry out various investigations.

Under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Switzerland has undertaken to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.

In order to estimate for the first time the exact extent of plastic pollution in Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has mandated Empa researchers to calculate how much plastic gets into the environment.

On 25 March 2019, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) opened the consultation on the partial revision of the current CO2 Ordinance. The amendment is needed so that the Swiss and EU emissions trading schemes (ETS) can be linked.