Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Sustainable blueprint demands ‘less meat and living space’

Meat on a grill
Swiss diners should be encouraged to change their eating habits, scientists recommend. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The Swiss should consume less meat and live in smaller apartments to sustainably accommodate a growing population, a science research body has recommended.

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) unveiled its blueprint for sustainable living on Tuesday to promote a resource-efficient economy of the future.

+ Climate-smart buildings conquer Swiss Alps

Switching to a more plant-based diet could reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture by 36%. The SNSF recommends focusing farming subsidies on ecological projects.

The study also suggested a rethink on housing to reduce the size of homes. In 1990 the average living space per person was 38 square metres compared to 51 square metres today.

The SNSF believes greater effort should be concentrated on renovating older buildings than constructing new homes.

More

“We could easily accommodate ten million people with the current housing stock,” said Philipp Thalmann from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).

Although Switzerland is improving its record of recycling, the SNSF pointed out that only 8.6% of all resources worldwide are re-used.

The transition to a sustainable economy should be managed by a combination of regulation, taxes and behavioural incentives, the study said.

The SNSF “NRP 73” study was given a CHF20 million ($18 million) grant in 2016 and conducted 29 research projects to reach its conclusions.

More

Debate
Hosted by: Sara Ibrahim

How have your eating habits changed?

An increasing number of people in Switzerland chose a vegetarian or vegan diet various reasons. What are your experiences?

17 Likes
87 Comments
View the discussion



Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Passengers of Swiss Federal Railways

More

Swiss are champions of rail travel in Europe

This content was published on Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.

Read more: Swiss are champions of rail travel in Europe
No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR