Politics

Concerns about climate change have given rise to a whole series of concepts that are widely used despite their lack of a concrete definition. EPFL researchers have taken a closer look at the “green economy” concept in particular to clarify exactly what it means.

It’s 2020 and Christoph Kueffer is now into his fifth year of (almost) not flying. Whereas not flying hasn’t been difficult, talking about social change still is, he asserts.

ETH Zurich has won the Swiss Watt d’Or Energy Prize for its dynamic underground storage system at the Hönggerberg campus. Switzerland’s Federal Office of Energy has recognised ETH for energy excellence in the category of “Buildings and space”.

In a joint research project involving five Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCERs), scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Empa, ETH Zurich, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the Rapperswil University of Applied Sciences (HSR), the University of Geneva and the University of Lucerne have drawn up a White Paper entitled "Power-to-X" for the Swiss Federal Energy Research Commission (CORE). The aim of the White Paper is to collect the most important findings on Power-to-X technologies. Among other things, the study examines the contribution that various technologies based on the conversion and storage of various forms of energy can make to Switzerland's future energy strategy.

Becoming a Swiss citizen promotes immigrants’ integration into Swiss society. After naturalizing, new citizens’ annual earnings increased by an average of CHF 5,000 compared to their unnaturalized peers. This boost benefits the new citizens, the state, and society as a whole.

The world is not on track with regard to its CO₂ emissions. In order to achieve the Paris climate targets, we all need to show courage and commitment, says Nicolas Gruber.

Defence Minister Viola Amherd and ETH President Joël Mesot have opened a laboratory for the national Cyber Defence Campus at ETH Zurich. This is the final element in a project connecting three locations and bringing together the Swiss federal government, universities and industry in a joint effort to tackle the growing threat emerging from cyberspace.

The EPFL-WISH Foundation will award this year’s Erna Hamburger Prize to German marine biologist Antje Boetius.

Tiny particles that can fight cancer or that can easily pass through any interface within our body are a great promise for medicine. But there is little knowledge thus far about what exactly will happen to nanoparticles within our tissues and whether or not they can cause disease by themselves. Within an international research consortium, Empa scientists have now developed guidelines that should enable the safe development of nanoparticles for medical use.

Every three years, the World Energy Council explores possible developments of the global energy system under different scenarios. Tom Kober, head of the Energy Economics Group in PSI’s Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis and one of the lead authors of the study, explains what the individual scenarios mean and how global warming could be mitigated.

Awareness of sustainable groundwater consumption is increasing in importance because of changing land use and climate change. As a result, the desire to better understand the natural and anthropogenic processes that have an influence on groundwater quality is growing.

The energy strategy calls for a further expansion of hydropower. This puts pressure on Swiss water bodies and water landscapes. At today's Eawag Info Day, some 200 experts from practice, research and administration will discuss how the various interests in water can be met in a sustainable manner and where the competition between these interests calls for priorities to be set. The Eawag researchers will demonstrate that it is not only a question of technical solutions, but also of social acceptance, for example when measures in favour of water ecology lead to an increase in the price of electricity.

The efforts for clean water are having an effect: According to the European Environment Agency, over 85 percent of bathing sites in European waters have excellent water quality.

Phosphate supplies are limited and found in only a few countries. Mining and transport of this nutrient are costly. It is therefore becoming increasingly important that phosphorus be recovered and reused regionally, and Switzerland, with a functioning phosphorus recycling economy, can lead the way.

A team of ten female cyclists is currently undertaking the hardest ride of their lives, riding all stages of this year’s Tour de France route—albeit one day ahead of the men’s race. Amongst the cyclists is Sara Beck, a postdoc in the Environmental Microbiology department.