Swiss Review 1/2018

5 Swiss Review / January 2018 / No.1 Landslides in the mountains. Climate change in Switzerland Glaciers shrink and expand again. This had been true in the Alps – until now. It now appears the glaciers are disappearing altogether. There will be nothing left to expand again. These changes could have far-reaching im- plications for our country. The glaciers are part of our water system. If they cease to exist, the flora, fauna and local climate will change. Instead of being the “reservoir of Europe” with flowing rivers, we are faced with flooding and drought. HELEN MEIER, SWITZERLAND Frightening! The world is on a general unstoppable collision course if we continue to burn our future. Many countries will disappear causing huge loss of life through climate change. WESSEL VAN LEEUWEN, SOUTH AFRICA It is arrogant to think that we insignificant humans can af- fect the course of the universe. Only 10,000 years ago my city was at the bottom of the Champlain Sea with about 150 me- ters of water above us. What happened? Climate change hap- pened, as it has since time immemorial. In the meantime, a lot of people make a lot of money selling gullible and unques- tioning innocents false environmental goods and ideas, and a lot of politicians frighten us into submission and increased environmental taxes. Nobody tells us what will happen if we do what they want us to do in 100, 1,000 or 10,000 years, be- cause they just don’t know, do they? It’s easy and facile to jump on the bandwagon and decry President Trump. But what if he is right? I remember being taken to the Aareglet- scher as a highschool student to see how quickly it melted. The professor explained to us, and that is decades ago, that the mountains around us would likely crumble once the sup- port structure of the glaciers and underlying permafrost was gone, but that was the inevitable consequence of the inter- glacial period. He told us that one day the glaciar may begin to grow again and that we would then know that we were heading into a new ice age. There have been at least 17 cycles between glacial and interglacial periods. The glacial periods lasted longer than the interglacial periods. The last glacial period began about 100,000 years ago and lasted until 25,000 years ago. Today we are in a warm interglacial period. MARGRET ALLEN, USA Mailbag An article that should be read by the American population and all its politicians. The reality of this phenomenon is ter- rifying. GACHOU PLETTS, UNITED KINGDOM Ticino represented again at last. Ignazio Cassis, the new Federal Councillor I think it’s a bit of a shame that the fe- male candidate from Ticino was ruled out by the people of Ticino themselves. Winning easily is to triumph inglori- ously. MICHEL PIGUET, CZECH REPUBLIC I’m so glad to learn that after some 18 years a Federal Coun- cillor from the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland has been elected. Congratulations, best wishes and lots of suc- cess to Ignazio Cassis! CLAUDIO ISEPPI, USA Bank accounts and insurance cover for the Swiss Abroad. An interview with Remo Gysin, the President of the OSA I had some funds with UBS from childhood beforemy fam- ily moved to New Zealand, and used the account when I returned home infrequently. The fees were insane and the account would have been emptied in a few years with the fees alone. I had no choice but to close it and move the funds offshore. I wasn’t happy about it and the effort and paperwork involved wasn’t that straightforward either. JOHN PREISIG, NEW ZEALAND