The term environmental indicator is used to refer to the different measures that are used to indicate the shifts that take place within a nation. Examining the environment is a complicated endeavor; thus, the indicators offer a more practical and economical way of keeping track of the condition of the environment more easily compared to recording everything that takes place within the environment (Suter, Steubing & Hellweg 2017).
Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries globally. Some of the most attractive sites in Switzerland are Lake Geneva, Palance of the United Nations, Schweizerischer Nationalpark, Alps, and the pyramid-shapedMatterhorn, among many others. However, some possibilities can be severely affected by climate change in the future due to its geographical location. There are concerns regarding air and water pollution in the country, which seems to rise. Due to the risk of pollution and climate instability, there is intense pressure on its natural resources (Suter, Steubing & Hellweg 2017).
31% of the country is made of woodland; there is massive biodiversity in the land with various natural resources such as timber and salt. Ratings show that Switzerland is among the top five nations concerning the environmental performance index. A large share of its electricity is generated from 56% hydropower, while nuclear power generated electricity is around 39%. The country is one of the leading recyclers internationally, with about 55-96% of the recyclable materials undergoing recycling after use (Suter, Steubing & Hellweg 2017).
According to an OECD (2020) report, Switzerland’s environment faces immense pressure, particularly from various factors such as spatial restructuring, pollution, and natural resources. Multiple sectors, such as the industry, tourism, agriculture, and transport, contribute to the Swiss’s challenging environmental conditions. The environmental pressures are also due to the high population densities and activities and the country’s geographical location. On the contrary, the nation has an incredible natural scenery marked by a wide variety of wilderness, as mentioned above (OECD, 2020).
In the 1970s and 1980s, determined environmental policies fostered by the confederation were put into practice by the cantons and municipalities. A significant factor related to the systems is the regulatory approaches implemented, enthusiastically involved public that showcased high levels of environmental awareness and extensive government funding. Due to these initiatives, commendable outcomes were attained concerning pollution abatement (OECD, 2020).
Since the early 1990s, environmental policies have been engrossed in preventing ecological damage; the polluter pays policy and alliance with the business community. Recently, the federal council, which is the head of Swiss’s operations, has made it specific to consider the requirements of attaining sustainable development in all its sectorial policies, especially those impacting transport, energy, and the agricultural sector (OECD, 2020).
On the other hand, for Switzerland to effectively manage environmental challenges facing the nation, they have to deal with two significant hindrances. These challenges are; hardship in translating the concept of sustainable development into actual amendments in the use and production patterns and the propensity for apprehensions regarding economic sluggishness, employment, and effectiveness to reduce the precedence accorded to the environmental challenges.
Some of the fundamental features that should be examined for ensuring future environmental progress and appraisals in Switzerland require implementing effective ecological policies, incorporating ecological disquiets within the nation’s economic decision-making, and global collaboration in environmental protection (Suter, Steubing & Hellweg 2017). Some of these policies are already in place and what remains is more effort to ensure effectiveness.
The key environmental indicators covered in this report are carbon dioxide emissions, municipal waste, and renewable energy and water withdrawals indicators. These indicators have been chosen because they are the ones that impact switzerland’s environment, social, economic and political sectors. Data for the indicators have been drawn from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Bank.
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