Slower improvement in the state of the environment since the turn of the millennium
Bern, 02.06.2009 - Although progress has been made in many sectors, the environment is still subject to significant pressures. As shown by the "Environment Switzerland 2009" report published by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the impacts of urbanisation, traffic and the large-scale consumption of resources are lessening the effectiveness of the measures taken.
The environment reports, published jointly by the FOEN and the FSO, inform about the state and evolution of the environment. Since 1997 they have also taken stock of the implementation of Switzerland's environmental policy. The "Environment Switzerland 2009" report follows on from the one published in 2007 and focuses in particular on developments since 1990.
Pressures on the environment are not abating
Urban sprawl continues, albeit at a noticeably slower pace. This mainly occurs to the detriment of good quality soils. The consumption of resources continues unabated: it rose by 17% between 1990 and 2006, triggering an increase in freight transport and the export of environmental pressures, as a consequence of the ever mounting importation of resources. The corollary of this rise in consumption is the steady growth in the volume of urban waste. Although more than 50% of the waste is recycled, the quantity incinerated has remained stable over the past decade. Energy consumption also rose by 8% between 1990 and 2007, while the share of renewable energies stagnated around 18%.
Mobility is also steadily increasing. The distance people travelled annually rose by 7% between 2000 and 2005, with public transport accounting for only 18%. Freight transport grew by 10% during the same period. The development of infrastructure to meet growing needs results in urban sprawl, landscape fragmentation and soil sealing, all of which affect the habitats of various species as well as biodiversity.
Better prevention of damages to the environment and improved management
The quality of the water in the lakes and rivers has markedly improved in recent decades; that of the groundwater, from which 80% of our drinking water is derived, is generally good. But some micropollutants still pose problems. Progress is also evident in the revitalisation of water courses.
Air quality has also shown noticeable improvement over the past 25 years. Nevertheless, progress has now slowed and emission limit values for nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particles are still being exceeded, sometimes by wide margins.
Thanks to stringent provisions, environmental pollution by recognised contaminants such as heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs and other persistent organic pollutants has registered a significant decline. Nonetheless, little if anything is known about the environmental fate and impact of many of the chemicals in use today.
Switzerland reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 2.7% between 1990 and 2007. However, merely lowering emissions in Switzerland will not suffice to meet the target of the Kyoto Protocol, i.e. a reduction of 8%. It will be necessary to offset emissions by purchasing certificates abroad and by taking into account the absorption of CO2 by forests (carbon sinks).
Prevention measures, in particular subsidies for protection works and the compilation of natural hazard maps should help to mitigate damage due to natural disasters.
The creation of new parks, either national parks, regional nature parks or nature discovery parks, aims, among others, to limit the impacts of human activities on natural landscapes.
The biggest challenge: reducing the use of resources
The FOEN is pursuing several avenues to improve the management of the environment. Work is proceeding along three main axes: strong support for the development of new technologies that facilitate a more efficient use of resources, greater market transparency to enable consumers to choose resource and environment friendly products and, lastly, the information and education of the general public.
Furthermore, the FOEN considers that a resource regulation system must be set up and an upper limit to the consumption of resources defined at the international level.
Address for enquiries
Media enquiries, FOEN, tel. +41 (0)31 322 90 00
Anne-Marie Mayerat Demarne, FSO, Environment, Sustainable Development, Territory Section, tel. +41 (0)32 713 67 40
Brigitte Reutter, FOEN, Environmental Monitoring Section, tel. +41 (0)31 323 07 32
Publisher
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en
Federal Statistical Office
http://www.statistics.admin.ch
