Glaciers and their long memories hidden deep in the ice Anxious and aware: the youth want to be heard Trump’s tariff hammer deals heavy blow to Switzerland JULY 2025 The magazine for the Swiss Abroad
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Mani Matter (1936–1972) was a well-known Swiss songwriter whose fame extends beyond the German-speaking part of the country. When he sings about our personal inhibitions, it still touches a nerve today. Inhibitions hold us back, we want to free ourselves of them. However, in the closing lines of his song “Hemmige”, these inhibitions give cause for hope: hopefully, humankind will not shed all its inhibitions in the face of threats. That line has never been more relevant. Matter’s song about his lofty artistic ambitions is less popular: armed with a brush and easel, he wants to capture the cow by the woods on canvas, and create a priceless work of unimaginable quality in the process. He paints the border of the woods, conjures up the sky on canvas and includes the meadow replete with flowers at the forefront. Then – all of a sudden – the cow has gone. It has removed itself from the artist’s line of sight. The actual subject of the picture is but a blurry blob. The song is reminiscent of our attempt to portray how hard the US tariffs have hit Switzerland. The setting, or bigger picture is clear enough: the – in Swiss eyes – special relationship with the US; the – also in Swiss eyes – unwarranted accusations by Trump. But the contours of the actual subject of the picture remain blurred: to what extent will the US customs policy actually affect Switzerland? It was too early to tell as this edition went to print. Nonetheless, our article on the tariffs (page 14) still has something to say: it explains why Switzerland is so perplexed by Donald Trump’s protectionism. While the Swiss share price at times flickers nervously amid the customs dispute, glaciologists are busy working on something rather more tangible. They take long drill cores from the ice of the glaciers, because deep within the glaciers lie memories of a distant past preserved in the ice. The cores contain, for example, traces of the climate thousands of years ago and pointers as to when and how the climate changed. We report on the researchers’ work (from page 11). The scientists have troubles of their own to contend with. The glaciers are melting – and taking their icy secrets with them. MARC LETTAU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 4 Focus The young want to have their say – the youth parliament is their forum 9 Society Political resistance against loud fireworks is on the rise 11 Nature and the environment The glaciers are melting and taking their secrets with them 14 Economy Trump’s tariffs came as a shock to Switzerland 18 A word from the editor The “Review” is putting together a picture of the “Fifth Switzerland” piece by piece 19 Report The world’s longest staircase to the top of the Niesen in the Bernese Oberland News from your region 22 Literature Elsie Attenhofer, a cabaret artiste and dramaturge with depth 24 Politics Second attempt: Switzerland seeks to bring in an electronic identity 28 Notes from the Federal Palace Returning to Switzerland? Tips for entering the labour market 30 SwissCommunity news Council of the Swiss Abroad elections by e-voting: an initial assessment 35 Discussion How do you paint what isn’t there? Title picture: ice cave in Furgg glacier in Zermatt (VS). Photo: Imago “Swiss Review”, the information magazine for the “Fifth Switzerland”, is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. Photo: Stéphane Herzog Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 3 Editorial Contents
DENISE LACHAT What do young people want in a large, highly urbanised Swiss city? In Zurich, for example, they want open gyms, greenery on building sites, concessions for cultural and leisure events, meals and public transport. They have real prospects of seeing these dreams come true. Last autumn, Zurich city parliament approved a total of seven procedural requests by young people. The ball is now with the city council: it must decide by autumn 2026 exactly how to give the youth what they want. Zurich listens to its young people Procedural requests from the young are a political instrument launched by the city of Zurich with its 2022 pilot project “Euses Züri – Kinder und Jugendliche reden mit!”, which translates as “Our Zurich – children and der than we are and won’t have to live with the consequences of today’s decisions for as long as we will.” The young people in the city of Thun also have a voice. Teenagers (aged 13 to 18) have been able to bring requests to the city parliament since 2014, proviHow do the young see their future? What do they dream about? What concerns them? Switzerland’s young people can answer these questions themselves, when they have a political voice. youth have their say”. It aims to provide young people with an opportunity to contribute their ideas for society in the political arena. About 90 people aged between 12 and 18 meet at youth conferences and cooperate with members of the city parliament in working out the details of their procedural requests. They then present their arguments in parliament. Ricarda Barman is one such person. The 15-year-old secondary school pupil attended last year’s youth conference and she will tell politicians why property owners must receive assistance with the installation of solar panels. “Oil and gas are more urgently needed elsewhere. As they are not renewable, they need to be used sparingly,” she told “Swiss Review”. Barman approves of young people participating in politics. “Giving us young people in Zurich a voice is a real step forward. Most politicians are much olThe anxiety and political awakening of Switzerland’s youth ARYA KAYA Erstwhile refugee who sought refuge in Switzerland and discovered political participation thanks to the “Zukunftsrat U24”. She now sees herself as a game-changer. Photo provided Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 4 Focus
5 ded they are backed by 40 signatures from the same age group. The Zurich youth have the support of Julia Kneubühler. She is responsible for the youth conferences for the city of Zurich on behalf of the Association of Swiss Youth Parliaments (ASYP). The ASYP promotes political participation at all three levels of government – communal, cantonal and national. The digital platform www.engage.ch, developed by the ASYP some ten years ago, is a valuable tool in gauging the needs of young people. Besides the city of Zurich, the canton of Solothurn also uses it, for example to organise a “Jugendpolittag”, a forum where young people can make themselves heard. “Red mit!” (“Join the discussion!”) is the name of the campaign, which is being held for the 18th time in 2025. What outcomes has it brought? There was, for example, a procedural request from 2023 that was supported by all the political parties last year in the cantonal parliament: a school identity card valid throughout the canton allowing pupils discounts. Thousands of requests in the Federal Palace Young people and young adults have also had a voice at a national level for nine years; they have already brought thousands of requests to the Federal Palace. The ideas of 12-to-25-yearolds are gathered every spring on the www.engage.ch platform under the motto “Verändere die Schweiz!” (“Change Switzerland!”). Young members of the Swiss parliament across the entire political spectrum then choose one idea each they would like to act on. At least 100 ideas have been formulated to date with their authors. Granted, they may not have brought groundbreaking change to Swiss politics, but the ASYP is still satisfied. “The fact that young people are playing an active role in the political process is already a success. If ideas turn into specific political requests, so much the better. We know how hard Above: Snapshot from Locarno, where the youth council “Zukunftsrat 2023” drafted 20 recommendations in the area of mental health. Photo: Pro Futuris, Dimitri Brooks IREM DÖ NMEZ Advocate of a procedural request relating to young people’s health. She is proposing new prevention measures to THE CITY OF ZURICH TO strengthen mental health at secondary school level. Photo provided Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3
HANNAH LOCHER From UNICEF Switzerland. She quotes some alarming statistics; over a third of all 14-to-19-yearolds have suffered from severe or medium-to-severe anxiety or depression. Photo provided Causes and symptoms of mental illness UNICEF names the following as risk factors for psychological problems among children and young people: poverty, families affected by addiction or violence, emotional neglect in childhood and bad childhood experiences (school bullying, for example). Investments in preventing mental illness are in the interests of society as a whole, including economically. The London School of Economics estimates the losses from mental impairments and disabilities leading to the inability to work or death of young people at almost USD 58 billion per year in Europe. So, mental health is not just an issue for young people in Switzerland – and it didn’t start with the Covid pandemic, as might have been thought from the surveys (see main text). “The pandemic was a possible driver but the problem predates it,” says Hannah Locher from UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Covid accentuated it and made it visible, she says. (DLA) it is for the members of parliament themselves to achieve something tangible in the long-drawn-out and complex process of Swiss politics,” says Fiona Maran, team head of campaigns for engage.ch at the ASYP. As a positive example, she mentions the motion submitted in the summer of 2022 by National Councillor Lukas Reimann (SVP), proposing that the Federal Council promote language study trips for pupils in Switzerland in all four national languages. The Federal Council rejected the motion; however, the National Council approved it in the spring of 2024. The next step is the Council of States, so the motion may still lead somewhere. Another topic of interest to the young is early recognition of the risk of reduced retirement pensions due to gaps caused by social insurance contributions not having been paid every year. The proThe 15-year-old secondary school pupil Irem Dönmez also wants to address pressure to perform. She will present a procedural request from the youth in Zurich on the topic of mental health to the city parliament. It’s a topic that lies close to her heart, after she found the transfer from the second to the third class of secondary school “very stressful”. “We had to attend many apprenticeship trial days until we found an apprenticeship in August, manage the regular schoolwork and sit a daily exam for two weeks at the end.” It’s understandable that their nerves become frayed in these situations, she says, all the more so if they have their own issues to deal with. Young people want more understanding from teachers about this emotional burden; they need room and tangible opportunities to address their feelings and issues at secondary school. “People shouldn’t just think about school during this challenging time,” says Dönmez. Her procedural request thus calls for a credit from the city to finance prevention programmes, thereby strengthening mental health at secondary school. A pressing issue for the young “Zukunftsrat U24” (“Council of the future U24”) sees mental health as the main issue for young people in Switzerland. The topic was rated urgent in a nationwide representative survey. The “Zukunftsrat” is supported by the Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG). This is a council of citizens aged from 16 to 24 who live in Switzerland. The 80 members are selected from 20,000 eligible persons through a multi-stage drawing of lots. The composition of the council should reflect the Swiss people as closely as possible and thus also includes foreign nationals who are disenblem often arises at the start of working life. FDP National Councillor Andri Silberschmidt has raised the issue in parliament, and the Federal Council has taken a position on it. “Alarming” mental health figures Anyone who gives the young a voice is showing them that their opinion counts, and by doing so is helping with prevention. Hannah Locher from UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the child welfare organisation of the United Nations, is certain of this. Studies show that many children and young people in Switzerland are struggling. According to a survey by UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein in 2021, 37 per cent of 14-to-19year-olds experience moderately severe or severe symptoms of anxiety disorder and/or depression. “The figures are alarming,” says Locher, also with a nod to the Stress Study by Swiss foundation Pro Juventute, which ran from the end of 2019 to early 2020 and involved over 1,000 pupils. It shows that a third of children and young people in Switzerland are under considerable stress, feel tired and exhausted and are under pressure to perform. Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 6 Focus
greatly, she argues. Locher says: “It’s a hotchpotch. We need a national strategy to provide support where it is needed throughout the country.” UNICEF funds a programme where towns can earn the label “child friendly”. Although not specifically related to mental health, accessible public living space for children does help with prevention. What’s left? The question remains as to whether youth participation can make a difference with this burning issue for the young. There is no doubt in Arya Kaya’s mind. Many interested politicians attended the closing conference of “Zukunftsrat U24”, and she has since received several personal invitations to symposiums. For example, she spoke at a big event in front of 600 experts. “We haven’t worked for nothing,” she emphasised. Today, she sees herself as a game-changer, in so far as she disseminates the recommendations for action by the “Zukunftsrat” in her network, which is perceptibly growing. The young woman now speaks excellent German, and has joined forces with 29 other motivated “Zukunftsrat” members to franchised in Switzerland. Arya Kaya, a 24-year-old Kurd, joined the conference in 2023 and is enthusiastic about it: “I had fled from Türkiye to Switzerland, I was alone, without a social network. And then I, a foreigner, was given the chance to have my say.” Over 30 proposals were discussed at three weekend workshops and finally 18 recommendations formulated for Swiss political action. The creation of a legal basis was requested, allowing the Confederation to act in a coordinated way at a national level with regard to the mental health of young people, including monitoring and a focus on prevention. The demands of the “Zukunftsrat” mirror those of UNICEF to a large extent. Hannah Locher believes that the problem is not solely a lack of experts, but mainly structural deficits: there hasn’t been enough work on promoting the training of child and adolescent psychiatrists, provision does not take adequate account of requirements and prevention is seriously underfinanced. Locher praises the “many engaged, low threshold offers for example from schools, sports associations, youth work or the psychological support in communities”. However, the cantonal differences vary form “Zentrum Zukunftsrat U24” (“Centre for council of the future U24”) and started studying psychology at the University of Zurich. At the same time, not all young people in Switzerland have the interest or even the strength to involve themselves in politics. They need easily accessed offers from the young for the young. An example of that is the ZETA Movement made up of people who have suffered with their mental health. Its current ambassadors define their aim as follows: “According to our vision, Generation Z should be the last generation to suffer from stigmatisation, silence and discrimination regarding their mental health, but the first generation to act as a catalyst for change and prompt a paradigm shift in people’s approach to the issue.” Links to further information: Online platform engage.ch: www.engage.ch Zurich procedural requests for youth: www.engage.ch/euses-zueri Jugendpolittag Solothurn: www.engage.ch/jugendpolittag Zukunftsrat U24: www.zukunfts-rat.ch Study UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein (2021): www.revue.link/unicefen UNICEF survey on mental health (worldwide, in English): www.revue.link/unicef Stress study Pro Juventute: www.revue.link/stress JULIA KNEUBÜHLER Supports young people who want to become involved in politics. She is responsible for the youth conferences organised on behalf of the city of Zurich. Photo provided FIONA MARAN Is managing the engage.ch campaign for the Umbrella Association of Swiss Youth Parliaments. She says that the fact that young people are playing an active part in politics is a success in itself. Photo provided Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 7
An ice and debris avalanche completely destroys the Valais mountain village of Blatten Blatten, a mountain village in the Lötschental valley, is no more. It lies buried under up to 100 metres of landslide, an estimated volume of ten million cubic metres of which thundered down the valley on 28 May 2025. The parts of the village that weren’t buried were flooded in the days following the avalanche, as the wall of debris blocked the Lonza river. Blatten’s destruction has shaken Switzerland, due to the scale of the natural disaster, the unprecedented way it happened and the questions it raises about the longterm habitability of Alpine regions. Two weeks prior to the disaster, there were growing signs of a potential landslide: the slope of Kleines Nesthorn mountain – which was 3,342 metres high prior to the catastrophe – started to move and crumble. This caused debris and rocks to fall onto the Birch Glacier below, which had been under observation since 1993 as it was unstable. Following an initial, smaller flow of debris but mainly in response to the sustained movement of the rocks and the glacier, the authorities ordered the evacuation of Blatten on 17 May. The severity and dynamics of what subsequently occurred had never been seen before in the Alps: the fallen debris and rocks exerted so much pressure on the glacier that they caused an increasing amount of snow to melt. This caused the entire glacier to slide more and more quickly within just a few days, until it was moving up to ten metres a day. On 28 May in the afternoon, a big chunk of the Birch Glacier together with the rocks and debris on top of it broke off and fell down the mountain, ultimately burying and destroying the village of Blatten. Rescue work, such as pumping the lake that arose from the water being blocked by the huge volume of debris, was initially impossible. For a start, there was a risk that several hundred thousand cubic metres of rock could still break off from the Kleines Nesthorn. Moreover, the momentum of the avalanche had carried it up the other side of the valley and there was a risk of it falling back into the village. By the time this edition of “Swiss Review” went to press, there was no way of telling how the event would end. The post-mortem regarding what caused the mountain to collapse has also only just begun. The experts basically agree that the event was connected to climate change, but the extent to which individual factors played a part – such as the thaw of the permafrost zone above the glacier or the glacier melting itself, which destabilised it from the mountainside – remains unclear. (MUL) www.swissinfo.ch is providing regular updates on the ongoing developments in the Lötschental valley (search term: Blatten) Zoë Më Zoë Më represented host country Switzerland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The world’s biggest music competition took place in Basel in May, returning to Switzerland for the first time in 37 years following Nemo’s win last year. The 25-year-old Zoë Më performed with aplomb in front of a TV audience of 170 million – deliberately eschewing a spectacular stage show. The minimalist staging of poetic ballad “Voyage” relied entirely on the magic of Zoë Më’s enchanting voice. The singer invited the public on an “emotional journey for greater humanity” with the song, which she sang in French. Her authentic performance convinced the jurors, although the Eurovision public with its penchant for the spectacular was less impressed. As a result, Switzerland finished tenth out of 26 finalists. Zoë Më received an award for the best composition of all participating countries with “Voyage”. There was also a touch of Swiss in Austria’s winning entry at this year’s Eurovision: the producer of “Wasted Love” by opera singer JJ is Zurich’s Pele Loriano, who had collaborated on Nemo’s winning entry “The Code” in 2024. For Zoë Më – real name Zoë Kressler – the musical journey she started as a child goes on: she started writing songs at age ten, initially in German. Zoë Më was born in Basel and spent her early years in Germany before her family moved to the bilingual canton of Fribourg in 2009. Zoë discovered her love of French there and has seen herself as a bridge builder over linguistic and cultural borders ever since. (https://revue.link/zoe) THEODORA PETER Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 8 Top pick News
SUSANNE WENGER The Swiss Abroad will remember: rockets, firework volcanoes and firecrackers go with 1 August like mustard and bratwurst at a garden barbecue. New Year’s Eve has also become something of a pyrotechnic event in Switzerland in recent years. About 2,000 tonnes of fireworks are set off every year – twice as much as 20 years ago, according to a study by the Federal Office for the Environment from 2014. Up to 600 different fireworks are available. “Fireworks are an expression of joie de vivre,” says Linda Feller, owner of Berne fireworks store “Stärnehimu” (dialect for “starry sky”). As with any tradition, some people identify with it more than others, explains Feller. Admittedly, the noise is a disturbance before and after the public holiday, but “a great number of people” enjoy the vivid flashes of light, she argues. Fireworks create “unforgettable moments” at local 1 August celebrations, weddings, anniversaries and birthdays. However, fans and suppliers are under pressure. A growing number of municipalities are curbing or banning the use of fireworks. Particularly so in the canton of Grisons, where every third municipality has issued a ban in recent years, including tourist hotspots Davos, Pontresina and St. Moritz. The reasons given for the bans are the protection of domestic and wild animals as well as of the natural environment. Animals “in panic” The whole country may soon follow suit. In November 2023, a committee Fireworks: are they worth the stress to animals and the environment? People love to let off fireworks on 1 August, Swiss National Day. At the same time, the practice is coming in for growing criticism: animals, people and the environment are impacted by them. A popular initiative now aims to introduce a ban on the use of loud fireworks by private individuals. submitted a popular initiative calling for restrictions in the use of fireworks. Over 137,000 people signed it. The initiative calls for a ban on the sale and use of loud fireworks. Quieter variants, such as cones, sparklers or Roman candles would still be allowed. Professional fireworks for inter-regional events would be allowed with a permit. Private individuals are behind the initiative. They are supported by various organisations including Swiss Animal Protection, BirdLife Switzerland, Lärmliga Schweiz, Pro Natura and Fondation Franz Weber. “Loud fireworks spread fear and panic among pets, livestock and wild animals,” says Simon Hubacher of Swiss Animal Protection. The sudden bang triggers great stress, which the animals cannot cope with, he says. Farm First a bright fireball, then a loud bang: the popular initiative calling for restrictions on private fireworks is mainly opposed to the noise they make. Public fireworks displays, such as this one in Nyon in 2022, would remain permitted. Photo: Keystone 9 Society
pathy for the initiative? About 70 per cent would back the initiative, according to a representative survey by research institute gfs.bern in 2024. The main reason is noise pollution. Opponents argue that a ban is excessive. The counter-proposal has not yet been drafted and the parties have yet to adopt a position. The Swiss Trade Association warns of a “prohibition culture”, which would deprive children of a tradition. The Association also contends that the ban would affect the SME sector. “Sector under threat” “The initiative threatens an entire sector,” says business owner Linda Feller. Many small retailers would go out of business without their firework sales revenue. Advocates of the ban counter that it is mainly firework volcanoes that are produced in Switzerland and they are not affected. Most of the fireworks are imported from China. The committee behind the initiative has indicated it is willing to consider an “effective” counter-proposal. Whether that will suffice remains to be seen. Simon Hubacher from Swiss Animal Protection sees the initiative as pragmatic: besides quiet fireworks and big official occasions, laser and drone shows and bonfires are still allowed. “Private firecrackers have nothing to do with tradition.” Hubacher refers to another survey finding from 2024: although most respondents enjoy watching fireworks, most people rarely, if ever, actually buy fireworks – and, when they do, they usually opt for the silent ones. That fits with the thrust of the initiative. Assuming the initiative is not withdrawn in favour of an acceptable counter-proposal, the electorate will most likely vote in 2026 on whether Switzerland should get rid of loud fireworks. animals sustain injuries trying to flee. Dogs suffer so much that their owners take them across the border. Danger to people People also suffer from the noise, especially the elderly and mentally afflicted, argue the supporters of the ban. The noise of fireworks is limited by law to 120 decibels, from a certain distance. By way of comparison, a jackhammer reaches 100 decibels. Fireworks also lead to accidents and fires. Between 2018 and 2022, there were about 200 accidents every year at 1 August celebrations, according to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention. These mainly took the form of burns and hearing damage. Commonly accidents were caused by people tinkering with fireworks, getting distracted or being careless. Last New Year’s Eve there was a fatality: a 46-year-old died in the canton of Lucerne when handling a firework firing system. And a 14-year-old was seriously injured in the canton of Valais when fireworks detonated in the middle of a crowd. Advocates of the ban also refer to environmental problems. Over a tonne of generated waste is left lying around and the fine dust particles accumulate. Fine dust is released when fireworks burn, as well as carbon dioxide and more besides. According to the 2014 study by the Federal Office for the Environment, the fine dust daily limit is “often exceeded” on 1 August and New Year’s Eve. Over the course of a year, however, fireworks only account for about two per cent of all fine dust emissions. The authorities advise older people and persons with respiratory or circulatory diseases to avoid fireworks. Parliament considers counter- proposal The initiative is being reviewed in Berne. The Federal Council recommends rejecting it, arguing that a national rule is not needed, as the cantons and municipalities could issue their own bans. However, the parliament has indicated it is ready to compromise. The preliminary committees of the Council of States and National Council voted in January and April 2025 to elaborate an indirect counter-proposal. The need to protect people and animals from noise pollution was “justified”, it argued. The counter-proposal is to stipulate a ban on firecrackers without visual effects in the Explosives Act. Is this rapprochement a response to surveys, which show a lot of symYoung people preparing to launch a rocket firework. It’s a risky business: about 200 firework-related accidents occur every Swiss National Day. Photo: Keystone www.feuerwerksinitiative.ch Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 10 Society
THEODORA PETER Global warming has accelerated the retreat of Alpine glaciers, including those in Switzerland, which have lost almost 40 per cent of their volume since 2000. Two catastrophic years, 2022 and 2023, obliterated ten per cent of Switzerland’s total glacier volume alone. Glaciers continued to shrink in summer 2024, even though the preceding winter had seen exceptionally high snowfall. The United Nations has named 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to highlight the urgency of the situation. The clock is ticking. Unless global warming is capped below 2°C, Switzerland’s glaciers may disappear altogether by the end of the century. But even if global warming remains below 2°C, it still may only be possible to save a quarter of Switzerland’s current glacial ice by 2100. Glaciers contain information on how the Earth’s climate and our own environmental past have evolved over time. The chemical and biological compounds trapped in their deep layers of ice constitute a natural scientific archive dating back thousands of years. Preserving this information has become a race against time. Drilling down to the data of endangered glaciers Glaciers not only store huge amounts of water. Their compacted layers of ice are also a treasure trove of information on the history of the Earth’s climate. Scientists in Switzerland and abroad are collecting ice cores from endangered glaciers to preserve this natural archive for posterity. An archive for future generations Launched ten years ago, Ice Memory is a project that aims to safeguard a heritage of ice cores from particularly vulnerable glaciers – before it is too late. The programme involving French, Italian and Swiss scientific institutions is supported by entities like UNESCO and counts renowned Swiss climate physicist Thomas Stocker as one of its key protagonists. “We must preserve this heritage for future generations,” says Stocker, who is a board member of the Ice Memory Foundation. A bespoke ice vault is beIt looks a bit forlorn, the research team’s camp in the nolonger-so-stable ice at Lyskamm in the Monte Rosa massif. Photo: Riccardo Selvatico, Ice Memory Foundation Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 11 Nature and the environment
level from the Colle Gnifetti glacier saddle in 2021 were well preserved. Two ice cores reached as far down as the bedrock to a depth of over 80 metres. Containing the oldest ice in the Alps, these twin samples are particularly impressive. They are a living record of our climate and atmosphere over the last 10,000 years. An ice core extracted from the nearby Lyskamm ridge in autumn 2023 went down to a depth of up to 100 metres. But this ice is estimated to be much younger, dating back 150 to 200 years. ing built for this purpose in Antarctica. Two ice cores will be extracted from every location and sent to this facility for storage. One of the two samples will then be used for current research. As new tools and technologies become available, the ice may give future generations of scientists the chance to gain new insight into past environmental events and the evolution of the Earth’s climate. Construction work on the Ice Memory Sanctuary in Antarctica will begin at the end of 2025, says Stocker. The Concordia international research station will be the location, where Swiss scientists recently helped to extract an ice core revealing a continuous record of the Earth’s climate and atmosphere stretching back over 1.2 million years (see box). Revealing past air pollution Whereas the Antarctic drillings offer a window into earlier ice ages, the ice cores extracted from glaciers are important for other reasons. “The information that we obtain from glaciers is unique because it originates from a populated part of the world where pollution is greater than in Antarctica,” Stocker explains. For example, it allows researchers to trace the impact of industrialisation on air quality and the Earth’s climate. The ice also reveals past events such as the nuclear tests of the 1960s. There is little time to spare in recovering this natural archive. “Temperatures in Switzerland and the Alps in particular have soared in the past ten years,” says Stocker. The change has been especially stark in the last four years. “Meltwater has penetrated the glaciers and distorted their data.” Researchers discovered this at first hand during an Ice Memory expedition on the high-altitude Corbassière glacier in the Grand Combin massif (canton of Valais) in 2020. The drilling results in 2018 had shown the situation was stable, but a similar drilling attempt two years later revealed significant glacial melt. Trace substances in the ice had essentially been washed away. In other words, global warming has made the Corbassière glacier more or less unusable as a climate archive. 10,000-year-old ice from the Monte Rosa massif A later expedition to the Monte Rosa massif on the Swiss-Italian border yielded better results. The ice cores extracted 4,500 metres above sea The fragment of a drilled ice core from Lyskamm mountain contains insights into the distant past. Picture right: the team in the protective drilling tent. Photos: Riccardo Selvatico, Ice Memory Foundation Right page: The Lyskamm research mission with its drilling equipment in the protective tent. Photo provided Thomas Stocker says drilling in the Alps is especially important, as clues to the development of civilisation are preserved in the glaciers. Photo: University of Bern “We must preserve this heritage for future generations.” Thomas Stocker – climate researcher and one of the masterminds of the Ice Memory programme Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 12 Nature and the environment
Unless global warming is capped below 2°C, Switzerland’s glaciers may disappear altogether by 2100. The world’s oldest ice core – on its way to Berne At the beginning of 2025, a European research team in Antarctica successfully drilled a 2,800-metre-long ice core reaching all the way down to the bedrock. This continuous sample, extracted as part of the EU-funded Beyond EPICA project, provides an unprecedented record of the Earth’s climate spanning over 1.2 million years. Initial analyses suggest that at least 13,000 years of data are compressed into one metre of ice. The University of Bern has a hand in the project. Its Climate and Environmental Physics division specialises in measuring greenhouse gas concentrations found in small air bubbles that are trapped in the ice. “We can begin our studies in autumn,” says climate physician Hubertus Fischer, who is looking forward to taking receipt of the Antarctic samples and gaining a new awareness of the Earth’s ice age cycles. “There was an ice age every 40,000 years around 1.5 million years ago. As we know, this cycle later slowed to 100,000 years.” Researchers want to know why – and Fischer believes that greenhouse gases provide the smoking gun. “If we have a better understanding of what happened in the past, we will be more able to predict what may happen in the future.” -50°C in the storage room The valuable cargo from Antarctica is expected to arrive in Berne this summer. To house the ice, the university has built a bespoke new cold store with an ambient temperature of -50°C. Ice samples in Berne have been stored at a temperature of -25°C until now. “The ice must be kept in very cold conditions for certain analyses. This prevents the properties of the ice from changing,” Fischer explains. An emergency generator maintains the cold chain in the event of a power cut. Scientists in Antarctica cut the ice core into one-metre-long sections, before the cargo was shipped northwards through the sweltering tropics of the Atlantic and across the Mediterranean to Italy – at a temperature of -50°C. The journey continued overland to the northern German city of Bremerhaven, where the samples were cut into even smaller pieces at the Alfred Wegener Institute, before being sent on their way to participating research centres around Europe, including Berne. (TP) www.beyondepica.eu www.ice-memory.org The Ice Memory programme aims to obtain ice cores from 20 endangered glaciers around the world within 20 years; besides the Alps, other locations include Norway, the Caucasus Mountains, the Andes and the Himalayas. A planned mission to Mount Kilimanjaro in 2022 fell foul of bureaucracy in Tanzania. Africa’s highest mountain is home to the continent’s last remaining glacier, which is likely to disappear by 2040. Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 13
CHRISTOF FORSTER The expressions on the faces of the Federal Council delegation showed exactly how they felt about Donald Trump’s tariff hike. President of the Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter and Economics Minister Guy Parmelin informed the media in early April that the Federal Council would not take countermeasures. The day before, US President Donald Trump had announced an exorbitant 31 per cent tariff on imports from Switzerland in a media event conducted in a gameshow-like format in the Rose Garden, with pharmaceutical products exempted for the time being. The reason given was allegedly unfair trading practices and currency manipulation. This made the bitter pill all the harder for the Swiss to swallow: Switzerland (and Liechtenstein) were the hardest hit among the European countries in April. A rate of 20 per cent was applied to the European Union. This ran against the assumption in Switzerland that the US president was not particularly keen on the EU. Indeed, it prompted a rethink, as the Swiss were rather brutally disabused of their illusions of a special relationship. Switzerland had long considered itself on the right side of US foreign policy and had hoped to be spared punitive import duties. This belief was also based on Switzerland charging only negligible duties on US imports. There is a relatively high export surplus in the goods trade – mainly from pharma exports to the US. However, the thinking in Berne was that the trade in services also counts, and it comes out strongly in favour of the US. Swiss companies also invest heavily in the United States, with Switzerland coming in sixth place. Seen from that perspective, the duties against Switzerland seem “almost like an industrial accident”, to quote a nonplussed government representative addressing the media. A good understanding during the first term The relatively harmonious understanding between Berne and Washington during Trump’s first term also contributed to the positive sentiment. Just a few weeks before the tariff cold shower, business owner and SVP National Councillor Magdalena Martullo-Blocher claimed that Trump loved Switzerland. Switzerland would soon enter into a free trade agreement with the US. And Federal Councillor Albert Rösti commented to some secondary Trump and Switzerland: tariffs, discord, and rapprochement For a long time, Switzerland considered itself on the right side of US foreign policy. That made the hammer blow of Trump’s tariff hikes even harder. The Swiss government was shocked and disappointed in its “sister republic”. school pupils shortly before the US elections that he tended to favour Trump. A look back through history tells us that there is probably a lot more to this saga than an industrial accident. For a start there is Switzerland’s belief in a special relationship with the US, which the Swiss hold onto only to be disappointed time and again. The Swiss like this idea of being a “sister republic”, something Trump has referred to in the past. This sisterhood is indeed valid in terms of the almost parallel development of the two countries’ institutional history. When the US created a new constitution in 1776, they looked to Swiss thinkers for inspiration. When Switzerland subsequently The chart that the Swiss did not expect to see: Switzerland was among the countries hardest hit by punitive tariffs in the list presented by Donald Trump on 2 April 2025. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 14 Economy
Politicians have also openly talked about exiting the fighter jet deal with the US. The US also seems to recognise that Switzerland does have something to offer. The Confederation is now in a group of 15 countries with which Washington wants to conclude a trade agreement as a matter of priority. Berne could sweeten the deal with more direct investments by Swiss companies in the US worth about 150 billion Swiss francs, about half of which would come from Novartis and Roche. Avocados and almonds as bargaining chips Switzerland could also cultivate goodwill through closer cooperation in developing the apprentice system in the US. Trump just recently announced a vocational educational initiative. At the same time, the negotiations are about duties and non-tariff barriers such as quotas, subsidies, taxes and trade in goods. Keller-Sutter would like to do away with the baseline tariff, which still applies during the 90-day grace period. That almost certainly entails the Federal Council making concessions in agriculture. The Confederation sees room for negotiation with such products as almonds or avocados, which are not grown in Switzerland. The next step is a joint declaration of intent, which was still pending by our editorial deadline at the end of May. After that comes the negotiation phase. At least, that’s how it looks now, but given the many turns and surprises provided by the White House to date, maybe the only real certainty is that nothing is certain. adopted a federal structure, it applied central US concepts, including human rights and the parliamentary two-chamber system. However, when it comes down to it, these similarities in statehood and personal responsibility are largely irrelevant. All the US is really interested in is having the power to enforce its interests unrelentingly. This was evident after the Second World War when Washington coerced Switzerland into paying compensation for its dealings with Nazi Germany. In the 1990s, the Confederation again found itself in the firing line due to unclaimed assets and Nazi gold. Under strong international pressure, UBS and Credit Suisse agreed to compensate Holocaust victims or their descendants to the tune of 1.25 billion dollars. The US also read the riot act to the Swiss over banking secrecy laws: in 2008, Switzerland was obliged to relax its banking secrecy and deliver the names of thousands of suspected tax evaders to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Keller-Sutter’s telephone call with Trump Every time, Switzerland has managed to come to terms with pressure from its big sister across the ocean. And it may well do so again this time. The US is Switzerland’s biggest export market, bigger even than Germany. Moreover, Berne has now established a line to the White House, after having initially been assigned to the underlings in Washington. In a telephone call with Trump, President of the Confederation Keller-Sutter offered some incentives to take the edge off the trade dispute. Shortly afterwards, Trump announced that the duties would be suspended for 90 days for all trading partners. An article in the “Washington Post” fed speculation in the Swiss media about Keller-Sutter having played a part in Trump’s decision. The article said that she had explained the consequences of the tariffs and prompted him to think again. This also added credence to the idea of the special relationship with the US. Despite the power imbalance, Switzerland does not just want to play the part of supplicant to Trump. After all, he has been known to mock foreign politicians if they beg for a deal. The president only recognises strength and despises weakness. Switzerland has its trump cards: Swiss companies are the fourth biggest foreign investor in industrial production and the number one for research and development (R&D). Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and President of the Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter on the day of the tariff announcements. Their expressions reflect the consternation in Berne. Photo: Keystone Donald Trump named the day of his tariff announcements “Liberation Day”. Having initially taken a surprisingly hard stance towards Switzerland, he has since indicated he is prepared to discuss the situation. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 15
SUSANNE WENGER In late October 1892, 17-year-old Anna Tumarkin arrived at the station in Berne. She came from a Russian-Jewish merchant family in Bessarabian Chișinău, now the capital of Moldova. The young lady travelled abroad to study, as women were not allowed to attend university in Tsarist Russia. In Switzerland, however, women were granted the right to pursue tertiary level education in the 1860s. In fact, Switzerland was an early mover in opening universities to women, in contrast to its subsequent lagging on gender equality. Hundreds of female Russian Jews chose to study in Berne. They were fleeing not only educational discrimination, but also political repression and anti-Semitism. Liberal lecturers in Berne supported the talented, courageous women. Anna Tumarkin was not as revolutionary-minded as some of her fellow students. She got straight down to business, studying philosophy, history and German literature and language – the start of her unequalled academic career. “Sensational event” In 1898, Tumarkin became the first female philosophy lecturer in Europe at the age of 23 and the first regular external lecturer in Switzerland. Newspapers within and outside Switzerland reported on the “sensational event” of her inaugural lecture, but she hardly earned enough to live on. In 1909, the Berne cantonal government nominated her extraordinary professor for philosophy and aesthetics. This made her the first woman ever to progress via the conventional path to professor with full rights in a unisex university. She ended up lecturing in Berne for 45 years. A side street near the university, “Tumarkinweg”, still bears her name. However, despite her pioneering achievements, she is still something of an unknown quantity in Switzerland. During a podium discussion in Berne in March, a female philosophy student admitted that she had never heard the name before. She called for Tumarkin to be included in the curriculum. Her 150th birthday nonetheless provided an opportunity to remember the philosopher and her achievements. Besides events and an exhibition at the University of Bern, an extensive biography by historian Franziska Rogger was published. The book looks at Tumarkin’s life and the impact she had, placing it in historical context. “Liberal” Switzerland Rogger describes Tumarkin as an unpretentious academic who “rose up through pure academia” and was held in high esteem by her students. She worked hard and dealt with setbacks, envy and scorn. She was often the sole female speaker at international philosophy congresses. In 1927, Berne broadsheet “Der Bund” praised her profound thinking. She was greatly affected by the fate of her family, who were wiped out over two world wars, Russian pogroms and Nazi genocide. She was the only survivor. Tumarkin received Swiss citizenship in 1921. “The freedom and tolerance in Switzerland allowed me to find a second home, the home of my intellectual education and application,” she wrote to the authorities. She spoke of the depths of her affection and gratitude. Rogger also highlighted Tumarkin’s commitment to the Swiss women’s movement. Following some initial hesitation, she actively supported women’s suffrage with her life companion, the medic and first Bernese school doctor Ida Hoff (1880–1952). In her later years, Tumarkin published a noteworthy paper entitled “Being and Becoming Swiss Philosophy”, in which she attributed a unique thinking culture to Switzerland, defined by objectivity and real life. In August 1951, Anna Tumarkin died aged 77 after a long illness. Obituaries praised her as an “erudite, noble lady” and a “formidable, sensitive personality”. The first ever female professor was based in Berne Since, as a woman, she was not allowed to study, Anna Tumarkin left her Russian homeland in 1892 for the University of Bern. The philosopher subsequently became the world’s first female professor. This little-known pioneer is being celebrated on the occasion of her 150th birthday. FRANZISKA ROGGER: “Anna Tumarkin (1875-1951) Das schicksalhafte Leben der ersten Professorin” Stämpfli publishing house, Berne 2025, 496 pages, in German. CHF 44. Anna Tumarkin came to Switzerland aged just 17 and worked her way to the top of her chosen career in academia. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 16 Profile
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