DÖLF BARBEN Don’t say it out loud, but in purely subjective terms, Switzerland seems to have grown quieter in the past few decades. And it seems set to go quieter still: last November, a fireworks initiative was submitted. It calls for a nationwide ban on private individuals setting off loud fireworks and bangers. Many nature conservation and animal welfare organisations are backing the initiative, including Pro Natura and Zoo Zurich. It may go through. A survey at the end of 2023 revealed a 76 per cent approval rate. Animal welfare is the main driver of the ban. The rival camp has been rather subdued thus far. In an interview with “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”, the head of a firework company lamented the emergence of a “banning culture”. Granted, a firework ban for private individuals would make Switzerland quieter, especially on 1 August (Swiss national day) and New Year’s Eve. These bans are actuQuiet, please! The calls for quiet can be quite deafening No more loud fireworks, less ringing of church bells, more whisper tyres and noise-reducing roads: is Switzerland becoming quieter? One thing is for sure: the dispute over noise levels is as loud as ever. It will soon be time for the people to vote: an initiative to contain the noise from fireworks will go before the people. Photo: Keystone ally already in force in some municipalities, such as St. Moritz and inner-city Berne. However, there is a lot more to noise than things that go pop or hiss. Top of the list is traffic and, in many instances, there are also cow or church bells. More people affected by noise Objectively speaking, Switzerland has not really grown quieter over the years. The latest environmental report by the Federal Council even states that many more persons are now affected by harmful and sustained noise than over 30 years ago, when the Noise Abatement Ordinance came into force. Noise pollution on the whole has not receded despite technical improvements to cars, trains and planes, states the report. The reasons include traffic growth and especially cars’ increased weight and broader tyres. Population growth and residential development is another factor. People in cities and agglomerations are particularly affected by noise. The report also says that technical innovations and all the money spent on noise mitigation have definitely had an effect. “Local communities have made great strides in reducing noise exposure.” Buzzing instead of clanking Granted, for those who don’t live on a busy road or in Haslital, where the very loud F/A-19 jet fighters blast off from Meiringen military airfield, Switzerland may indeed be quieter and really loud noises consigned to memory. Who remembers the old goods trains with their relentless screeching and clanking that could be heard for miles around? Noisy freight trains are now banned and the modern intercity trains seem to merely buzz as they speed along at 200 kilometres per hour. 12 Nature and the environment
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