Environment

A team of experts in artificial intelligence and animal ecology have put forth a new, cross-disciplinary approach intended to enhance research on wildlife species and make more effective use of the vast amount of data now being collected thanks to new technologies. Their study recently appeared in Nature Communications.

Barely any of Switzerland's solid and liquid animal manure is used to generate energy. Yet fermentation of manure and slurry has the potential to replace fossil fuels and make agriculture more climate-friendly. A publication by energy researchers from institutions including WSL and PSI aims to help government and industry professionals better exploit this valuable resource.

For the first time, researchers at ETH Zurich have calculated in absolute figures the extent to which the production of chemicals is currently interfering with nature worldwide – and the results are staggering. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, the new method also takes land use and freshwater consumption into account.

Hydropower delivers renewable electricity, but comes with massive fish mortality – a global dilemma that can only be addressed by true compromises, says Luiz Silva, and outlines how to find them.

A team of scientists from EPFL and Switzerland’s WSL research institute has studied the conversion of savannas into oil palm plantations as a deforestation-free way of growing these plantations. What’s more, if improved management practices are adopted at the plantation scale, then the net carbon balance could be enhanced and a great leap could be made towards reducing the environmental impact of palm oil.