Mayer, a 42-year-old lawyer, will take up his post on May 1, 2016. He succeeds Franz Schnider, who will leave the SFOE at the end of February 2016 after around five and a half years of service.

Mayer has several years of experience in the cantonal administrative environment as well as extensive knowledge of licensing procedures and lawmaking, the SFOE writes.

The SFOE's Law, Hydropower and Waste Management Division (RWE) includes the Energy Law and General Law, Energy Market Law, Nuclear Energy Law, Electricity Pipelines and Water Law, Hydropower sections and the Radioactive Waste Management section.

Within the framework of the current strategic realignment, the Board of Directors of the association has Minergie Andreas Meyer Primavesi (Forsting. ETH Zurich, MBA IESE Barcelona) was elected as the new Managing Director. The 38-year-old from Basel was previously responsible for the areas of certification and technology as well as communication with the cantons on the Minergie Executive Board. As of January 1, 2016, he will also be responsible for the association's operations as Managing Director, according to Minergie.

In his career to date, Meyer has been responsible, among other things, for setting up and operating the service center for the national building renovation program and sustainable site development. He is very familiar with the Minergie association and the associated network.

The Minergie board also approved the updated business plan. At the beginning of 2017, the three building standards Minergie, Minergie-P and Minergie-A would be revised with the involvement of the cantons. Thus, as proposed at the 2015 general meeting, their conformity with the MuKEn 2014. The public will be informed about the main contents of the new strategy and further organizational adjustments in the first quarter of 2016, it says.

The WWF had ten important food retailers and the three largest wholesalers in Switzerland rated by the rating agency Inrate according to their environmental performance (study "WWF Environmental Rating 2015, Wholesale and Retail/Food and Near-Food"). The companies were compared with a visionary next-generation company, still fictitious today, whose business model is geared to the ecological sustainability of our planet and to a maximum global warming of two degrees Celsius. The following were evaluated six areas important for the environmentManagement system, investments, products, assortment & suppliers, policy & framework conditions as well as anchoring of environmentally friendly behavior in society.

The results

Coop and Migros make it into the "pioneer" category. With their environmental commitment, the two are far ahead of the rest of the industry, as the WWF points out. They sell more products with recognized sustainability labels and orient their actions more consistently toward goals and the greatest possible impact. They also do a better job of promoting environmentally responsible practices among their suppliers and society as a whole. No company made it into the "runner-up" category. There are seven companies in the "upper midfield" category and two in the "lower midfield". Volg and the Pam chain of stores in western Switzerland did not answer the questions - they are therefore in the "intransparent" category.

Further findings from the rating

It is gratifying that practically no company is left empty-handed when asked about its environmental performance. In principle, however, Swiss wholesalers and retailers still have a long way to go, according to the environmental organization. The results vary greatly depending on the field of action. While almost all participating companies had already taken some measures in the areas of sustainability strategy and management or investments in energy and CO2, only a few - if any - ecological requirements were imposed on pension fund investments. Far too few companies would still consistently address the most relevant challenges when solving environmental problems. Participation in industry initiatives, which carry more weight vis-à-vis multinational corporations and in politics, is also relatively limited, according to the media release. According to WWF, wholesalers and retailers must develop business models that are oriented toward the carrying capacity of the planet and counteract global warming of more than 2 degrees. To this end, the environmental organization says, those measures that have the greatest impact should be implemented consistently.

The Ranking of wholesalers and retailers in the WWF environmental rating

• Category trailblazer: Coop, Migros
• Chaser category: none
• Upper midfield category: Aldi Suisse, Denner, Lidl Switzerland, Manor, Pistor, Saviva, Transgourmet Switzerland
• Lower Midfield Category: Globe, Spar
• Category Intransparent: Pam, Volg

The Paris Agreement provides for all countries to develop and announce a reduction target and for this to be reviewed in 5-year cycles. The previous strict distinction between two categories of industrialized and developing countries is largely eliminated, thus better reflecting reality. The large emitters will thus be held accountable. From Switzerland's point of view, this is an indispensable prerequisite for future climate policy.

The agreement takes into account the different levels of socio-economic development of the individual countries. Responsibility for reducing emissions and adapting to climate change lies with the individual countries. To maintain an overall view and determine what additional efforts are needed, the agreement provides for monitoring of efforts based on standardized data. In addition, transparency is to be strengthened at all levels (see box) so that the efforts of individual states can be disclosed and compared.

However, the scope of the commitments set out in the agreement is not yet sufficient to limit the increase in global warming to well below 2 degrees. Several provisions need to be fleshed out at the upcoming climate conferences. The foundations defined in Paris must be further developed in the coming years. Switzerland has committed to halving its emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Switzerland will also continue to work to expand the circle of financial donors - both the number of donor states and private funding.

Key points of the Paris Agreement

Differentiation: The climate targets and reduction performance expected of a country should be commensurate with its performance and level of emissions, and not solely with its membership in a country category. The vast majority of the articles apply to all Parties. However, an expansion of the donor group is only done on a voluntary basis.

Ambition: The aim of the agreement is to limit the increase in global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius and to continue efforts to keep the temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The reduction in emissions (peaking) is to be achieved as quickly as possible.

Emission Reduction: Each state must periodically develop and communicate national targets and implement appropriate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Market mechanisms: The climate conference recognized cooperation as an important element and created a mechanism to help reduce emissions and promote sustainable development through market-based incentives (e.g., issuing and trading emission reduction certificates).

Transparency: States must report an inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions, information on progress made towards emission reduction targets. They should report on the effects of global warming as well as information on measures taken to adapt to climate change as well. This allows for an assessment and review of each Party's efforts.

Damage and losses: Within the framework of international cooperation and solidarity, the Parties shall strengthen the necessary approaches to limit the damage and losses caused by global warming. These include, in particular, early warning systems and risk assessment and management.

Funding: The industrialized countries should continue to mobilize financial resources from various sources. In doing so, the needs and priorities of developing countries should be taken into account. Other countries with appropriate capacity are invited to provide support as well.

Forests: States should maintain and strengthen the sink effect of forests and reduce emissions resulting from deforestation.

Source: Uvek

By the way - a media partner of Umwelt Perspektiven, Öbu - the network for sustainable business - was on site in Paris; more information on this subject here.

The European Commission has decided to take Germany to the European Court of Justice. The reason for this is Germany's failure to implement Directive 2006/40/EC on air conditioning systems in motor vehicles, which requires the use of vehicle refrigerants with lower global warming potential and a phasing out of certain fluorinated greenhouse gases. National type-approval authorities are required to certify that a vehicle meets all EU safety, environmental and manufacturing requirements - including requirements for air-conditioning systems in motor vehicles - before issuing a permit to place it on the EU market. This matter is governed by Directive 2007/46/EC, which sets out a general framework for motor vehicle type approvals and a range of remedies, including the possibility of penalties.

The Commission alleges that Germany violated EU law by allowing German vehicle manufacturer Daimler AG to place vehicles on the EU market that did not comply with the Directive on Air Conditioning in Vehicles and failing to take corrective action.

Daimler claimed safety concerns

Daimler AG raised safety concerns about the refrigerants prescribed in the directive. These concerns were not supported by the other motor vehicle manufacturers and were dismissed by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, which carried out an additional risk analysis in 2014.

Despite contacts between the Commission and the German authorities in connection with the infringement proceedings, Germany took no further action against the issuing of type-approvals for non-compliant motor vehicles and took no remedial action against the manufacturer.

By taking Germany to the Court of Justice, the Commission aims to ensure that the climate objectives of this Directive are met and that EU law is applied uniformly across the EU, guaranteeing a level playing field for all economic operators.

Source: European Commission

The award decision for the organization for the establishment and development of the Label Nachhaltiges Bauen Schweiz (LNBS), which was put out to tender by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, was made in the middle of the year, and the bidding consortium SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA and Zimraum Raum+Gesellschaft was awarded the contract. The consortium will present the LNBS on January 16, 2016 at the trade event Swissbau in Basel. Then we will also know when the label will be officially launched.

The label is part of the Federal Council's sustainable development strategy and is based on the Sustainable Construction Switzerland standard introduced in 2013 (SNBS). It is being developed by the certification company SGS in cooperation with the above-mentioned partners and experts from CSD Ingenieure, Ecosens AG and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

In principle, the LNBS could be seen as a thematic further development of Minergie-Eco be seen as a "green building," emphasizes SGS. In addition to the environment and health, it also covers social (use) and economic aspects (market value and tradability) of a building. Its development is largely based on existing knowledge and expertise in the Swiss construction industry.

3 Differences

According to SGS, the LNBS stands out from the international building labels in three respects:

• Firstly, it does not evaluate the building in isolation, but in its context, i.e. with regard to its embedding in its surroundings. In addition to the urban development qualities, this also includes the economic efficiency and the possible uses.
• Secondly, it is impact-oriented and strict in its specifications, but flexible in its application. It gives the client and the architect freedom in the design of the building. This is a challenge for everyone involved, because it involves weighing up the facts instead of simply working through the criteria. Certification is therefore not a multiple-choice examination, but the evaluation of a proposed solution in terms of its effects.
• Thirdly, in terms of content, the label concentrates on the aspects with a leverage effect. It thus dispenses with elaborate and expensive thoroughness - in favor of the essentials.

The total revision was necessary in order to do justice to the changes of the past decades and to master the new challenges in Swiss waste management. The most important changes in the newly named "Ordinance on the Prevention and Disposal of Waste" (VVEA), or "Waste Ordinance" for short, are as follows:

It now contains regulations for the recycling of biogenic waste, such as food or wood waste.
The requirements for landfills were adapted to the state of the art. In the process, it was more clearly regulated how aftercare must be ensured after the end of landfill operation.
Phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge, animal and bone meal becomes mandatory. A transitional period of ten years applies.
The ordinance now specifies how waste may be recycled in cement plants.
Reporting, duty to inform and training are newly regulated.

The Federal Council today put the VVEA into force on January 1, 2016.

Positive effects on the national economy

The Technical Regulation on Waste dates from 1990, and much has changed in the meantime. In the next few years, waste management is to develop into resource management. The main objective of the revision of the ordinance is the conservation of resources. This will have positive effects on the national economy. Closed raw material cycles lead to a more favorable disposal infrastructure in the medium and long term, as capacities can be saved at waste incineration plants. This benefits households and companies.

Climate services are scientifically based information about the past, present and future climate and its consequences. They are the basis for decisions on how to deal with the effects of climate change. Climate services are also a prerequisite for taking climate change into account already in the planning and implementation of measures and thus saving costs in the long term.

The NCCS of the Confederation, based at MeteoSwiss, coordinates the development and dissemination of Climate Services and makes them available in an understandable form. As an interface between science and practice, it promotes dialogue and the joint and interdisciplinary development of climate services. In doing so, the network ensures that these are geared to the needs of users.

Focus topics

The NCCS develops climate services on several key topics. For example, the current variability of the climate in Switzerland and possible future changes are to be highlighted. Furthermore, it will be investigated how climate change affects, for example, water resources, natural hazards such as floods or landslides, forest health, the distribution of tree species or of pests in agriculture. Last but not least, illustrative scenarios for extreme weather events are intended to further improve event management and also population protection, in addition to necessary preventive measures.

Promote dialog

All practical and regularly updated information and basics on climate will be available in one place within the NCCS. The website www.nccs.ch will be expanded into a web platform for authorities, decision-makers from politics and business, associations and society. In addition, networking events will be held to promote exchange and identify potential research gaps. This dialogue forms the basis for the elaboration and further development of the best possible climate services. If required, the NCCS organizes interdisciplinary workshops for individual sectors such as agriculture or on specific topics such as climate scenarios.

The NCCS - Briefly explained

Within the framework of the Action Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change in Switzerland adopted by the Federal Council, the NCCS takes on the task of strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation in the development of data and information, thereby improving the common, practical foundations. With the NCCS, the Confederation is following the recommendation from the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), which was launched by the World Meteorological Organization WMO at the third World Climate Conference in Geneva in 2009.

The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, the Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG, the Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP, ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL are involved in the NCCS. The office is located at MeteoSwiss in Zurich.

In addition to the federal offices and research institutions mentioned above, Agroscope, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL and the University of Bern are currently involved. The aim is to win further institutions for collaboration.

These and other questions are the focus of the NCCS:

• Will there be more rain and therefore bigger floods? What does this mean for my community?
• Will pests in fruit, wine and arable farming cause more losses in the future? What does this mean for crop protection?
• How much will the heat waves increase? What does this mean for the population?
• Which tree species should we promote today? Which ones provide good timber yield and habitat for animals and plants despite higher temperatures and greater drought?
• How will water resources change? What does this mean for society?

Swissgrid assesses the current grid situation and the energy supply for winter 2015/16 as tight. Energy reserves are tight due to a chain of special circumstances. Due to the outage of the Beznau 1 and 2 nuclear power plants, there is a large shortage of base load energy in the 220 kV grid. This must be replaced mainly from Swiss storage lakes, as imports can only be used to a limited extent to compensate.

The wind industry association Suisse Eole wants to close this gap with wind energy in the future. This is because two-thirds of the production of wind turbines occurs between October and March - in other words, when hydro and solar plants produce the least but energy consumption is at its highest.

Suisse Eole is therefore calling for the two decommissioned nuclear power plants to be replaced by wind energy in the future instead of drawing CO2-intensive electricity from the European power grid. This would require 120 wind farms with 5 to 10 turbines each.

At the same time, however, according to the association, greater importance is to be attached to energy efficiency in the future - for example, replacing electric heating with solar and wood heating systems and heat pumps.

Air pollution remains the single largest environmental health risk in Europe. This is also true for Switzerland.

This is shown in a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which was published for the climate summit in Paris. According to the report, most city dwellers are exposed to air pollutants at levels classified as hazardous by the WHO.

In Switzerland, around 5500 premature deaths per year are attributed to particulate matter, ground-level ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Particulate matter is particularly dangerous, accounting for about 4300 of the deaths. Particulate matter can cause cardiovascular and lung diseases, heart attacks and arrhythmias. It is also considered to cause cancer. In 2013, 87 % of the EU urban population were exposed to particulate matter concentrations exceeding the level set by the WHO to protect human health.

The second most premature deaths are caused by NO2, i.e. nitrogen oxide. This directly affects the respiratory system and also contributes to the formation of particulate matter.

Apart from health effects, air pollutants also have a significant detrimental effect on plant life and ecosystems. These problems, including eutrophication caused by ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and plant damage caused by O3, are still widespread in Europe.

Changing leisure behavior, increasing on-the-go consumption and rising population figures led to increased littering in the noughties. For example, the population of the city of Zurich has increased by over 12 percent in the last 20 years. In the same period, applications for events in public spaces in Lucerne have more than tripled. And while the banks of the Rhine in Basel were barely populated at the beginning of the 1990s, even on warm summer evenings, several thousand people can be found there today. Finally, partial surveys indicate that on-the-go consumption has increased by about 25 percent in the last 10 years alone.

Many cities have only reacted to these changes with delay. Today, there are numerous cities that are tackling the littering problem from different angles with a mix of measures and are acting as role models.

Littering situation is under control
This targeted effort against littering can now show first successes, as a survey of the IGSU shows. The majority of the 1580 passers-by questioned assessed the littering situation from their subjective perception as unchanged. This assessment is confirmed by the cities of Basel, Lucerne, Zug and Zurich. While the systematic recording carried out since 2010 in Basel even shows a clear improvement in cleanliness, Lucerne, Zug and Zurich see the situation as stabilized. According to Rolf Stocker, Head of Maintenance Operations at the Lucerne Road Inspectorate: "The amount of litter is stagnating. Considering the increasing pressure of use on public space, this is already positive. The awareness campaigns 'Luzern glänzt' and 'Putztüüfeli' as well as the increased police presence at strategically important locations have had a particular effect."

The mix of measures brings success
The concepts of the various cities are similar. The central elements are the expansion and maintenance of the infrastructure, the sensitization of consumers and repression in the form of fines and increased presence of police or cleaning staff. Within the framework of this catalog of measures, many cities also make use of the free services of the IGSU. The ambassador teams are particularly well known, motivating passers-by to dispose of their waste correctly in a witty and charming way. Every year, the ambassador teams perform 16,000 hours of awareness-raising work. In addition, the IGSU is involved in anti-litter campaigns in schools, for example, or in organizing the annual national Clean-Up Day. Its activities have a demonstrably positive effect on the behavior of the population.

Basel, Zug and Lucerne all report that no single measure can be singled out as particularly successful in combating littering. Rather, it is the coordinated mix of measures that brings success. Of the cities surveyed, only Zurich relies almost exclusively on high cleaning performance. "The most important recipe for success against littering is event-oriented cleaning," Niels Michel, specialist manager for dialog and presence at Zurich's city cleaning department, is convinced. "Because dirty streets have been proven to attract further littering."

The problem remains
Despite the fundamentally positive finding that the situation has stabilized or even improved in some areas, it must be noted that too much littering still occurs and the problem persists. At the same time, the IGSU survey also clearly shows that the population is very annoyed by littering: 75 percent of respondents feel "rather strongly" or "strongly" disturbed by littering. In the perception of the population, therefore, it does not mean a decisive improvement in the situation if instead of ten "only" seven packages are left lying around on a meadow. This in turn shows that the path taken must be continued in order to keep the problem under control, to improve the situation step by step and to noticeably improve the quality of life of the population.

In 2013, corporate spending on environmental protection amounted to around CHF 2.3 billion. Compared with 2009, investment in pollution prevention increased by 30 percent, while investment in pollution treatment decreased by 31 percent. This development reflects, among other things, companies' increased interest in cleaner production processes. These are some of the findings of a survey conducted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO).

In 2013, spending by companies in the secondary and tertiary sectors on environmental protection included 1.727 billion current expenditures (internal expenditures, purchase of services and municipal fees) and 537 million francs for investments in pollution prevention or treatment. Total expenditures reached 2.264 billion francs, a similar amount to 2009, the last year of the survey. However, due to economic growth during this period, the burden on businesses fell from 0.39 percent to 0.36 percent of GDP.

Cleaner technologies gain ground
Compared with 2009, pollution prevention investments increased by 30 percent at current prices, while pollution treatment investments decreased by 31 percent. Pollution prevention investments as a share of total pollution prevention investments increased from 65 percent to 77 percent, while the share for treatment decreased from 35 percent to 23 percent. This development reflects, among other things, the increased interest of companies in cleaner technologies and production processes that make it possible to reduce or even completely avoid environmental pollution instead of treating pollution that has occurred.

Seven out of ten francs for waste and wastewater management
Between 2009 and 2013, the shares of environmental protection expenditures for waste and for wastewater management remained stable (46% and 25% in 2013, respectively). The share of spending on air pollution control and climate protection decreased from 14 to 11 percent, while the share of spending on other environmental areas (e.g. noise abatement, biodiversity and landscape protection, soil and groundwater protection) increased from 15 to 18 percent.

Swiss industry not disadvantaged in European comparison
In 2013, industry's expenditure on environmental protection amounted to around CHF 1 billion. At current prices, this is almost 6 percent less than in 2009 and 16 percent less than in 2003. The financial burden of this expenditure on Swiss industry thus fell from 1.2 percent of gross value added in 2003 to 0.9 percent in 2009 and 0.8 percent in 2013. In European industry (EU28), the burden amounted to 2.3 percent in 2013.

The decline in spending in Swiss industry does not necessarily mean that this sector is less committed to environmental protection. Possible reasons also include structural changes in favor of less polluting activities, cleaner production processes or more favorable treatment of the pollution generated.

(FSO)