Climate change is putting enormous pressure on biodiversity and ecosystems, including forests. In the first week of March, we gathered high-resolution 3D point clouds of the leaf-off beech forest at Laegern, our living laboratory near Zurich.

The energy transition is not just a technological challenge – it’s a societal one. Public acceptance is crucial for the success of renewable energy projects. A master’s thesis analysed 2.6 million German-language tweets from 2008 to 2023 to categorise public sentiment towards nuclear, coal, solar, wind, water and gas/oil energy.

Die international koordinierte Gletscherbeobachtung hat eine lange Tradition. Was im 19. Jahrhundert mit ersten systematischen Messungen begann, wurde bis heute kontinuierlich weitergeführt und bekam in diesem Jahr, dem von der UNO ausgerufenen «Internationalen Jahr zur Erhaltung der Gletscher», eine besondere Bedeutung.
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How should we monitor biodiversity quickly, affordably, inclusively, and in detail, with limited resources? This challenge is especially tricky for a more hidden and harder to study piece of biodiversity – genetic diversity. But we are making progress.

Think of a natural entity that you love… A tree, a lake, an animal, your pet, a sunset or even a whole forest. And now ask yourself: “What is it that connects me to this natural entity? Its beauty? The memory I have of it?” Two PhD projects are investigating what makes up our relationship with nature.

Have you ever encountered a situation when a colleague or a friend was very stressed, very depressed or had other acute mental health troubles? I always felt unsure about whether to say anything to them and how to help.

Mountain regions face challenges like depopulation, climate change, tourism pressures, and biodiversity loss. In the hybrid course «Sustainable Mountain Development», students from Tbilisi State University and GIUZ explored these issues, comparing the Caucasus and the Alps. Their insights are now featured in blog posts tackling key socio-political questions and solutions.

The production chain of Stadler Rail, the Swiss-based rail vehicle manufacturer, has been severely affected by the recent floods in Valencia. It will take years to get back to normal. This case shows that science, politics and the corporate world are probably still grossly underestimating the costs of climate change.

The Critical Pony is a project designed to make the field of human geography more approachable and entertaining for a broad audience. Through bite-sized, engaging videos, this initiative tries to turn complex academic ideas into content that resonates on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

Zunehmende Wetterextreme wie Trockenperioden und Starkregen zeigen, wie wichtig es ist, dass sich die Landwirtschaft an das veränderte Klima anpasst, um die Lebensmittelversorgung zu sichern. Mehr Vielfalt auf den Feldern, innovative Lösungen und Zusammenarbeit sind entscheidend.