Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Inflation rate is up, renting is cheaper than owning in some places, and other Swiss news in our roundup on Friday.
Swiss inflation rate, prices, increased in August
Inflation rose slightly from 3.4 to 3.5 percent, driven by oil and gas prices, according to new data from the Federal Statistical Office.
Fuel oil saw the biggest price increase (86.2 percent), followed by wood chips (65.2), gas (57.7), air transport (45.7), and diesel (32).
Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages went up by 2.5 percent, and housing and energy by 4.7 percent.
However, Switzerland’s inflation rate is still substantially lower than across the EU, where it stands at 8.9 percent.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why Switzerland’s inflation rate has stayed low compared to elsewhere
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: The groups most affected by inflation in Switzerland
Buying versus renting: what is cheaper right now?
For years, owning your home has been more advantageous financially that renting.
Now, however, renting has become cheaper than owning in 451 communities across Switzerland, according to research carried out by SRF public broadcaster.
It shows that buying in Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Zug, Lausanne, Lugano, and ST. Gallen is now at least 35 percent more expensive than renting.
This trend is also visible in suburbs of these cities, where renting now makes more financial sense, research reveals.
READ MORE: Buying property versus renting in Switzerland: What is actually cheaper?
Lausanne has the lowest carbon footprint in Europe
A recent analysis reveals that Vaud’s capital has the lowest carbon footprint — an indicator of greenhouse gases produced by human activities — among the 28 cities studied.
It emits only 2.2 tonnes of CO2; for comparison, Berlin has a footprint of 33.5 tonnes.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also considers Lausanne the most environmentally friendly Swiss city, thanks to its tree planting initiatives and its goal of zero CO2 emissions by 2030.
Swiss strawberries have memories of feeling stressed out
This item might have escaped our attention if it weren’t reported on the official website of the Swiss government on Thursday.
It turns out that scientists from Agroscope, the research centre of the Federal Office for Agriculture, discovered that woodland strawberries remember heat and other stress situations they had experienced in their lives.
Why is this finding important? “The resulting changes can help forearm strawberries against subsequent stress situations”, Agroscope reports.
Fortunately, “plants have developed various strategies to adapt to these changed conditions. One of these strategies involves altering their DNA ».
After all, nobody wants to eat a stressed-out strawberry.
You can find out more about this research here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Swiss inflation rate, prices, increased in August
Inflation rose slightly from 3.4 to 3.5 percent, driven by oil and gas prices, according to new data from the Federal Statistical Office.
Fuel oil saw the biggest price increase (86.2 percent), followed by wood chips (65.2), gas (57.7), air transport (45.7), and diesel (32).
Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages went up by 2.5 percent, and housing and energy by 4.7 percent.
However, Switzerland’s inflation rate is still substantially lower than across the EU, where it stands at 8.9 percent.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why Switzerland’s inflation rate has stayed low compared to elsewhere
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: The groups most affected by inflation in Switzerland
Buying versus renting: what is cheaper right now?
For years, owning your home has been more advantageous financially that renting.
Now, however, renting has become cheaper than owning in 451 communities across Switzerland, according to research carried out by SRF public broadcaster.
It shows that buying in Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Zug, Lausanne, Lugano, and ST. Gallen is now at least 35 percent more expensive than renting.
This trend is also visible in suburbs of these cities, where renting now makes more financial sense, research reveals.
READ MORE: Buying property versus renting in Switzerland: What is actually cheaper?
Lausanne has the lowest carbon footprint in Europe
A recent analysis reveals that Vaud’s capital has the lowest carbon footprint — an indicator of greenhouse gases produced by human activities — among the 28 cities studied.
It emits only 2.2 tonnes of CO2; for comparison, Berlin has a footprint of 33.5 tonnes.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also considers Lausanne the most environmentally friendly Swiss city, thanks to its tree planting initiatives and its goal of zero CO2 emissions by 2030.
Swiss strawberries have memories of feeling stressed out
This item might have escaped our attention if it weren’t reported on the official website of the Swiss government on Thursday.
It turns out that scientists from Agroscope, the research centre of the Federal Office for Agriculture, discovered that woodland strawberries remember heat and other stress situations they had experienced in their lives.
Why is this finding important? “The resulting changes can help forearm strawberries against subsequent stress situations”, Agroscope reports.
Fortunately, “plants have developed various strategies to adapt to these changed conditions. One of these strategies involves altering their DNA ».
After all, nobody wants to eat a stressed-out strawberry.
You can find out more about this research here.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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