Swiss News

Letzte Woche stellte Apple das seine neuen Produkte vor. Darunter auch das Iphone 17 Pro. Blick-Digitalredaktor Tobias Bolzern testet unterwegs im Alpstein die neuen Kamerafunktionen.

Are climate treaties, like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or the Paris Agreement, the only way forward for intergovernmental climate cooperation? By now, there are hundreds of multilateral treaties governing a wide range of environmental issues, including energy, freshwater, oceans, air pollution, biodiversity conservation, hazardous waste, agriculture and fisheries. This policy brief examines whether the 379 multilateral environmental treaties that do not primarily address climate change can nevertheless contribute to advancing climate commitments.
We find that decisions adopted under environmental treaties have increasingly mainstreamed climate considerations since 1990. Today, climate-related decisions account for around 10% of regulatory decisions adopted under environmental treaties across different issue areas. Some treaty regimes are particularly active in addressing climate change, such as those focused on energy, freshwater and habitats, with up to 60% of their decisions addressing climate change. In contrast, treaties regulating agriculture and fisheries demonstrate a notably lower level of engagement in climate mainstreaming.
These findings demonstrate that environmental treaties that do not specifically focus on climate change can still contribute to shaping climate governance, albeit to varying degrees. This policy brief concludes with a set of recommendations for researchers, treaty negotiators, secretariats, governments and climate activists seeking to advance intergovernmental cooperation on climate change through means other than climate treaties.
Key policy messages:
Non-climate-focused treaties can serve as a means for developing climate mitigation and adaptation commitments, notably through decisions adopted by their respective bodies. Yet, there is room for increased climate mainstreaming in those decisions. Various actors can contribute to such mainstreaming:
• Researchers could further investigate why some conferences of the parties (COPs) are more receptive to climate concerns than others and what potential trade-offs are associated with climate mainstreaming in environmental treaties.
• Treaty negotiators can favour cross-cutting mandates that enhance policy coherence across interconnected environmental challenges, enabling a more integrated approach to environmental decision-making. They can also design dynamic collective bodies, able to adopt decisions swiftly when new issues or information arise.
• Governments can appoint climate experts in non-climate COPs and advisory committees and report climate-related aspects of their implementation of non-climate treaties.
• Treaty secretariats can coordinate joint initiatives and promote knowledge exchange across climate and other environmental regimes.
• Climate activists can intensify their engagement with non-climate COPs by participating in consultations, submitting position papers, and collaborating with sympathetic delegates to amplify the climate relevance of treaty decisions.

Annabelle Olivier is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of British Columbia.
Jean-Frédéric Morin is Full Professor at the Political Science Department of Université Laval, Canada

The Israeli army has launched a ground offensive in Gaza City that aims to completely eliminate Hamas forces in the area, according to a military spokesman. Hundreds of thousands of residents are trying to flee the city. The EU has called for a stop to the 'cycle of violence, destruction and suffering', while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed doubts that the Gaza war can be ended through diplomatic means.

More than 100,000 people took to the streets of London on Saturday in response to a call by British right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson. Alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, right-wing politicians from all over Europe, including France's Éric Zemmour, incited resentment against foreigners, the media and the British government. The commentaries reflect dismay, but not surprise.

Austria's liberal education minister Christoph Wiederkehr has proposed fines of between 150 and 1,000 euros for parents who fail to cooperate with schools. The penalties would apply in cases such as parents refusing to talk to teachers when their children are suspended, or if they skip compulsory summer school without a valid excuse. Commentators debate the plan's merits and consequences.

L’initiative du Centre a été rejetée au profit de la réforme vers l’imposition individuelle par 99 voix contre 92. Le dossier passe au Conseil des États.