wire - news in brief
« BACK
Environment - 26.10.2020 
Land management in forest and grasslands: how much can we intensify?
High land-use intensity reduces the beneficial effects of biodiversity on ecosystem services. This is the main result of a study conducted by an international team with participation of the University of Bern. The study assessed, for the first time, the effects of land management on the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services.
Environment - 22.10.2020
Environment - Event - 20.10.2020
Environment - 20.10.2020 
Trees bring benefits to society, regardless of their origin
The contributions to people provided by trees in Geneva outweigh their disadvantages, regardless of whether they are of native or non-native origin. Trees planted in urban spaces provide a multitude of ecosystem services: they reduce air pollution and noise, provide habitat and shelter for other species, and reduce erosion during heavy rains.
Chemistry - Environment - 14.10.2020 
Biodegradable flip-flops coming soon
Biodegradable plastics are very much on trend. But there are still very few sustainable alternatives for products containing foamed plastic.
Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 08.10.2020
Health - Environment - 07.10.2020 
Improved Bed Nets for Malaria Control in Tanzania
Insecticide-treated bed nets are the most widely adopted preventive measure against malaria, and represent an effective form of prevention for at-risk populations.
Environment - 06.10.2020 
PlaNet - Planned networking of stakeholders
The new digital tool PlaNet makes it easier for municipalities to identify important project partners but also critical voices in complex environmental and infrastructure projects.
Environment - Campus - 05.10.2020
Environment - Campus - 02.10.2020
Environment - Architecture - 01.10.2020
Environment - 30.09.2020 
New program to train leaders of a more sustainable world
On 1 October EPFL will launch EPFLglobaLeaders, a new program that will provide research grants to PhD students working in sustainability-oriented fields.
Environment - 29.09.2020 
"Wastewater is a source of nutrients, energy and water"
Circular economy also holds great potential when it comes to wastewater. At NEST, Eawag is conducting research on decentralized wastewater treatment with the aim to use wastewater as a source of nutrients, energy and water.
Life Sciences - Environment - 29.09.2020 
Wildcats threatened by their domestic cousins
Wildcats in the Swiss Jura will undergo an irreversible genetic replacement by domestic cats if no preventive measures are taken. European wildcats, thought to be extinct 50 or so years ago in the Jura mountains, have since recolonised part of their former territory. This resurgence in an area occupied by domestic cats has gone hand-in-hand with genetic crosses between the two species.
Environment - 29.09.2020
Environment - Law - 25.09.2020
Environment - 23.09.2020
Environment - Health - 18.09.2020
Environment - Politics - 18.09.2020
Environment - Life Sciences - 11.09.2020 
The cold memory of the earth
On September 14, an expedition within the framework of the international project Ice Memory is setting out to carry out ice core drilling on the glacier of the mountain massif Grand Combin in the Swiss canton of Valais.
Environment - 09.09.2020
Environment - Materials Science - 08.09.2020 
"Do microplastics belong in our environment? No!"
Process Engineer Adriano Joss from Eawag water research institute has been working for many years on wastewater treatment plants and the removal of micropollutants from water.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 08.09.2020
Environment - Materials Science - 03.09.2020
Environment - Chemistry - 02.09.2020
Event - Environment - 01.09.2020
Health - Environment - 28.08.2020 
Experts collect information on risks of COVID-19 in wastewater
The review paper "Rethinking wastewater risks and monitoring in light of the COVID-19 pandemic" was co-authored by 34 contributors from around the world. What was Eawag's contribution? Eberhard Morgenroth: For May 2020 I had been invited to participate in the "International Water Summit" at the Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Social Sciences - Environment - 19.08.2020
Environment - Earth Sciences - 19.08.2020 
Modeling avalanche protection in forests
Two EPFL students have compared the ability of a forest in Vaud Canton to protect against avalanches before and after it was ravaged by fire in 2018.
Environment - 17.08.2020
Environment - Chemistry - 11.08.2020 
Florian Breider: a passion for all things Japanese
Summer series: Careers in research. Florian Breider, who heads EPFL's Central Environmental Laboratory (CEL), knew from a young age that he wanted to become a scientist.
Environment - 30.07.2020
Environment - Earth Sciences - 28.07.2020 
Thallium: highly toxic, but little studied
In Agatha Christie's novel The Pale Horse, the victims die of thallium poisoning.
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 24.07.2020
Environment - 20.07.2020
Materials Science - Environment - 17.07.2020 
Fluorine recycling for lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries contain salts rich in fluorine, which decompose in humid air to toxic, highly corrosive hydrogen fluoride. The hazardous nature of this substance makes recycling more difficult and more expensive. A research project entitled "Fluoribat" is now being launched at Empa to solve this problem.
Environment - 16.07.2020 
Heat stress: the climate is putting European forests under sustained pressure
No year since weather records began was as hot and dry as 2018. A first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of this drought and heat event shows that central European forests sustained long-term damage.
Environment - Transport - 16.07.2020
Environment - Earth Sciences - 14.07.2020
Environment - 09.07.2020
Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 03.07.2020
Politics - Environment - 03.07.2020
Transport - Environment - 21.06.2020 
Pilot assistance system LNAS reduces noise in the approach path
During more than 90 approaches to Zurich Airport conducted under the leadership of the Swiss SkyLab Foundation, researchers from Empa and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) tested an assistance system that supports pilots via a display during quiet and, at the same time, fuel-efficient approaches. The results show a measurable reduction in noise emissions and fuel consumption.
Environment - 19.06.2020 
A call for better governance of climate engineering technologies
In a study for the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment EPFL's International Risk Governance Center (IRGC) has brought together a group of global experts to point the way forward for international policymakers grappling with the risks and benefits posed by Carbon Dioxide Removal and Solar Radiation Modification.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 19.06.2020 
Who’s evaluating Swiss landscapes?
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how do you define a beautiful landscape? Machine learning algorithms can be helpful here, says Adrienne Grêt-Regamey.
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 17.06.2020
Environment - Health - 16.06.2020
Environment - Economics / Business - 16.06.2020 
Is Switzerland ready for change?
Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation and the current pandemic crisis make it obvious. The need for a more sustainable world has never been as urgent as it is today. But how do we transition to a sustainable economy? The National Research Programme "Sustainable Economy: resource-friendly, future-oriented, innovative" (NRP 73) is creating knowledge that can support Switzerland in addressing this question.
Environment - Career - 12.06.2020
Innovation - Environment - 10.06.2020 
Energy transition: EPFL spin-off Vizcab raises 1.75 million francs
The French startup will use the injection of capital to ramp up marketing of a building life cycle assessment (LCA) method developed at EPFL Fribourg.
Environment
Results 1 - 50 of 526.
High land-use intensity reduces the beneficial effects of biodiversity on ecosystem services. This is the main result of a study conducted by an international team with participation of the University of Bern. The study assessed, for the first time, the effects of land management on the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services.
The contributions to people provided by trees in Geneva outweigh their disadvantages, regardless of whether they are of native or non-native origin. Trees planted in urban spaces provide a multitude of ecosystem services: they reduce air pollution and noise, provide habitat and shelter for other species, and reduce erosion during heavy rains.
Biodegradable plastics are very much on trend. But there are still very few sustainable alternatives for products containing foamed plastic.
The quest for a holistic pesticide policy
Bans and simple measures alone won't solve the problems in plant protection. Robert Finger presses for a comprehensive pesticide policy.
Bans and simple measures alone won't solve the problems in plant protection. Robert Finger presses for a comprehensive pesticide policy.
Insecticide-treated bed nets are the most widely adopted preventive measure against malaria, and represent an effective form of prevention for at-risk populations.
The new digital tool PlaNet makes it easier for municipalities to identify important project partners but also critical voices in complex environmental and infrastructure projects.
Hönggerberg campus development finds approval
Implementation of the -ETH Campus Hönggerberg 2040- vision has taken a major step forward. Zurich's municipal council approved the outlines of the plans for the future campus development with few changes.
Implementation of the -ETH Campus Hönggerberg 2040- vision has taken a major step forward. Zurich's municipal council approved the outlines of the plans for the future campus development with few changes.
On 1 October EPFL will launch EPFLglobaLeaders, a new program that will provide research grants to PhD students working in sustainability-oriented fields.
Circular economy also holds great potential when it comes to wastewater. At NEST, Eawag is conducting research on decentralized wastewater treatment with the aim to use wastewater as a source of nutrients, energy and water.
Wildcats in the Swiss Jura will undergo an irreversible genetic replacement by domestic cats if no preventive measures are taken. European wildcats, thought to be extinct 50 or so years ago in the Jura mountains, have since recolonised part of their former territory. This resurgence in an area occupied by domestic cats has gone hand-in-hand with genetic crosses between the two species.
Yes, we’re worried
Climate activists were sentenced yesterday in the second instance. Sonia Seneviratne explains why climate researchers got involved in this trial and expressed their views in a public statement.
Climate activists were sentenced yesterday in the second instance. Sonia Seneviratne explains why climate researchers got involved in this trial and expressed their views in a public statement.
To cut food waste, we may need to pay more for what we eat
How can we reduce food waste? Although the Swiss population are aware of the problem, they misjudge where most food waste is generated, ETH political scientists conclude.
How can we reduce food waste? Although the Swiss population are aware of the problem, they misjudge where most food waste is generated, ETH political scientists conclude.
On September 14, an expedition within the framework of the international project Ice Memory is setting out to carry out ice core drilling on the glacier of the mountain massif Grand Combin in the Swiss canton of Valais.
Process Engineer Adriano Joss from Eawag water research institute has been working for many years on wastewater treatment plants and the removal of micropollutants from water.
The review paper "Rethinking wastewater risks and monitoring in light of the COVID-19 pandemic" was co-authored by 34 contributors from around the world. What was Eawag's contribution? Eberhard Morgenroth: For May 2020 I had been invited to participate in the "International Water Summit" at the Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Two EPFL students have compared the ability of a forest in Vaud Canton to protect against avalanches before and after it was ravaged by fire in 2018.
Summer series: Careers in research. Florian Breider, who heads EPFL's Central Environmental Laboratory (CEL), knew from a young age that he wanted to become a scientist.
In Agatha Christie's novel The Pale Horse, the victims die of thallium poisoning.
Lithium-ion batteries contain salts rich in fluorine, which decompose in humid air to toxic, highly corrosive hydrogen fluoride. The hazardous nature of this substance makes recycling more difficult and more expensive. A research project entitled "Fluoribat" is now being launched at Empa to solve this problem.
No year since weather records began was as hot and dry as 2018. A first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of this drought and heat event shows that central European forests sustained long-term damage.
Agroscope Publishes Study on Environmental Impacts of Drinking-Water Initiative
In an in-depth study, Agroscope analysed the possible environmental impacts of implementing the Drinking-Water Initiative. The life-cycle assessment shows that pesticide and nutrient pollution of Swiss water bodies and groundwater could be reduced. In addition, inland biodiversity could be improved slightly.
In an in-depth study, Agroscope analysed the possible environmental impacts of implementing the Drinking-Water Initiative. The life-cycle assessment shows that pesticide and nutrient pollution of Swiss water bodies and groundwater could be reduced. In addition, inland biodiversity could be improved slightly.
Influx from the SP helps the Greens to win elections
Due to widespread concerns about the climate, the environmental parties made significant gains in the 2019 federal elections, especially among young voters.
Due to widespread concerns about the climate, the environmental parties made significant gains in the 2019 federal elections, especially among young voters.
During more than 90 approaches to Zurich Airport conducted under the leadership of the Swiss SkyLab Foundation, researchers from Empa and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) tested an assistance system that supports pilots via a display during quiet and, at the same time, fuel-efficient approaches. The results show a measurable reduction in noise emissions and fuel consumption.
In a study for the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment EPFL's International Risk Governance Center (IRGC) has brought together a group of global experts to point the way forward for international policymakers grappling with the risks and benefits posed by Carbon Dioxide Removal and Solar Radiation Modification.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how do you define a beautiful landscape? Machine learning algorithms can be helpful here, says Adrienne Grêt-Regamey.
"Huge forest fires put our health at risk"
After Australia, Siberia is burning, indicating that the frequency of such events is on the rise, with myriad dire consequences: devastated ecosystems, risk of desertification, CO2 emissions, toxic particles, further climate impacts..
After Australia, Siberia is burning, indicating that the frequency of such events is on the rise, with myriad dire consequences: devastated ecosystems, risk of desertification, CO2 emissions, toxic particles, further climate impacts..
Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation and the current pandemic crisis make it obvious. The need for a more sustainable world has never been as urgent as it is today. But how do we transition to a sustainable economy? The National Research Programme "Sustainable Economy: resource-friendly, future-oriented, innovative" (NRP 73) is creating knowledge that can support Switzerland in addressing this question.
The French startup will use the injection of capital to ramp up marketing of a building life cycle assessment (LCA) method developed at EPFL Fribourg.
