Swiss technology: Is climate change man-made?

As early as 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in its fifth report that humans are responsible for climate change. Based on various studies, the probability is estimated at more than 95 percent.

Climate change has a direct impact on Switzerland in several ways. The Federal Environment Office has a lot of specialized information on its website.

Researchers found that the Earth's temperature in Switzerland has risen by 2.5 degrees over the past 150 years. This puts Switzerland well above average.

The rising temperatures can clearly be seen in the consequences for the mountains. The size of Switzerland's glaciers has decreased by 60 percent since 1850. The zero degree limit has risen by up to 400 metres, and the number of frost days has decreased by 60 percent.

Below 800 metres, the number of snow days is reduced by half.

However, there are also positive aspects. Sunlight has increased by 20 percent since 1980. This benefits solar energy, which is still a young Swiss technology, and ultimately benefits the climate: the more sustainable energy is generated through photovoltaics, the more Switzerland can reduce its carbon dioxide emissions. .

Swiss technology can help address this problem.

Global warming is the most important man-made cause of climate change. Greenhouse gases accumulate in the Earth's atmosphere, where they absorb sunlight. The heat is then directed directly to the ground.

This is actually a natural and accurate thing. Without global warming, the Earth would be about 30 degrees colder, making the planet not worth living on.

However, humans have greatly increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The most important are carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). This is actually natural gas. Which today comes primarily from biological sources such as large-scale livestock farming.

Humanity is also stuck in a vicious cycle: global warming is causing landscapes that were previously permanently frozen to thaw, thus bringing swamps and swamps back to life. These are particularly large natural sources of methane, which in turn increases global warming.

Irish physicist John Tyndall discovered global warming as early as 1859. In 1908, Swede Svante Arrhenius concluded that increasing carbon dioxide emissions in the modern world would lead to global warming. In 1938, English engineer Guy Callendar proved this theory using temperature measurements.

However, it took until 1979 before the first World Climate Conference was held in Geneva. Charney's report showed the impact of carbon dioxide on climate. But only with the new millennium and the noticeable consequences for humanity did the topic reach the public.

Since then, the Swiss technology has also committed to taking more climate-friendly measures aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and methane emissions.