Glaciers lose 5% of ice volume in single summer
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Swiss glaciers have lost over 5% of their ice volume this year, a rate glaciologists describe as nearing record levels. Most of these glaciers are now expected to vanish regardless of future emissions; the record summer has simply made the decline more visible.
In the Council of States, a marathon debate on EU treaties ended with the approval of a stabilization package, even as members raised the hurdles for future agreements. Elsewhere, the Socialist Party's David Roth has suggested selling the country's F-35 fighter jets to other nations, while Swiss expatriates are resisting a proposal to cut their pensions based on the local purchasing power of their host countries.
Lake Zurich has reached a historic low, and an aviation expert has reminded the public that absolute safety in the air is a fiction, noting that every cockpit contains an axe. In Geneva, transport authorities are using simulators to help the public understand the physical difficulty of being an elderly passenger on a bus.