Climate Change

Air traffic is responsible for two to three percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. To meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and make air travel climate-neutral by 2050, PSI is carrying out research into sustainable aviation fuel. This could make an important contribution to reducing the climate damage caused by aviation.

Remote sensing specialist Petra D’Odorico likes to fly drones. Not as a hobby, but rather to record high-resolution multispectral and thermal images, which can be used to create an early warning system to detect drought stress in forests before it becomes apparent.

Ecological communities in rivers and lakes are responding to climate change in a similar way to communities on land. This is shown by the first comprehensive comparison of freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems around the globe, co-led by Eawag and WSL. When temperatures rise, warm-loving species are the main beneficiaries. One surprising exception may be the plankton.

Glacier-fed streams are undergoing a process of profound change, according to EPFL scientists in a paper appearing in Nature Geoscience. This conclusion is based on the expeditions to the world’s major mountain ranges by members of the Vanishing Glaciers project.

Five million rooftops in Switzerland – more than half of the nationwide total – are suitable for generating power. A review of two solar photovoltaic development strategies has shown that combining the two approaches could cause over two-thirds of Swiss towns and cities to become energy self-sufficient.