2015: a year of weather extremes in Switzerland

In 2015, it was on average 2.2 degrees Celsius hotter in Switzerland than the year before, in fact the hottest it has been since measurements began in 1864. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) 

In the southern canton of Ticino, July was on average five degrees Celsius warmer than usual. 

A wet spring was followed by three months of drought. The hot, dry summer was great for tourism but dire for farmers as fruit and vegetables struggled to grow. 

Some scientists directly link extreme weather conditions like these to global warming. Others say simply that climate change may have an influence.

But most people seem to agree that global warming caused by burning fossil fuels should be checked. At the Paris climate conference, it was decided that global temperature rises should be limited to two degrees Celsius by the end of the century, achieved through cutting CO2 emissions.

Switzerland has agreed to cut its emissions by 1% per year, mainly through trading in carbon credits, which means financing climate projects abroad.