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• Climate Research
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» Regions

• International Organisations
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» Federal Institutions and Research Centres

• Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC)
  • Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
    The FOEN is the federal government’s centre of environmental expertise and is part of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication.
• ProClim- Forum for Climate and Global Change
  ProClim seeks to facilitate both integrated research activities and the necessary linkages among scientists, policy-makers and the public at home and abroad.
• Advisory Body on Climate Change (OcCC)
  The Advisory Body on Climate Change (OcCC) was appointed in 1996 by the Federal Department of Home Affairs and the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (ETEC). Its role is to formulate recommendations on questions regarding climate and global change for politicians and the federal administration.
• Parlamentary Group 'Climate Change'
• SMA Meteo Swiss
• Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG)
  Eawag is a Swiss-based and internationally linked aquatic research institute committed to an ecological, economical and socially responsible management of water – the primary source of all life. It carries out research, teaching and consulting and forms a link between science and practical application.
• Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)
  • General Energy Research
    Research at PSI comprises all aspects of human energy use, with the ultimate goal of promoting development towards a sustainable energy supply system. Technologies are being advanced for the utilization of renewable energy sources, low-loss energy storage, efficient conversion, and low emission energy use. Experimental and model-based assessment of these emissions forms the basis of a comprehensive assessment of economic, ecological and environmental consequences, for both present and future energy supply systems.

» University Institutes

• Universität Basel
  • Departement Umweltwissenschaften
  • Programm MGU: Mensch – Gesellschaft – Umwelt
• Universität Bern
  • Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für allgemeine Ökologie (IKAÖ)
  • Gruppe für Klimatologie und Meteorologie (KLIMET), Universität Bern
  • Abteilung für Wirtschafts-, Sozial-und Umweltgeschichte (WSU) (D)
• University of Fribourg
  • Koordinationsstelle Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Freiburg
  • Institute of Geography, IGUF, University of Fribourg
    Teaching and research activities of the Institute of Geography at the University of Fribourg reflect the shift in interests from traditional, descriptive geography, to advanced approaches to studies in the social, economic, and physical environment realms. With the appointment of a new director in October 1996, a new theme is now represented in Fribourg, namely Climate and Global Change and its environmental and socio-economic impacts; an additional focus is the study of environmental change in mountain regions. Furthermore, the director of the Institute is Vice-Chairman of the Impacts Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• Institute for Economy and the Environment at the University of St. Gallen (IWOe-HSG)
  IWOe-HSG is the first institute in Switzerland that deals with the exploration of the interdependences of economy, nature and society.
• Universität Zürich
  • Institute of Environmental Sciences
• ETH Zürich
  • Department of Environmental Sciences (D-UWIS)
  • Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IACETH)
    The Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IACETH) was founded in July 2001 from a merger of the previous ETH units Institute for Atmospheric Science and Institute for Climate Research. IACETH is part of the Department of Environmental Sciences (D-UWIS). IACETH straddles the inter-related disciplines of atmospheric and climate science. It pursues leading-edge research on atmospheric physics, chemistry and dynamics, and on global and regional climate, and it pioneers activities at the interfaces of these sub-component fields and the interfaces to other disciplines.
  • Environmental Physics
    Research at the Chair of Environmental Physics is primarily directed at the complex interrelationship among energy, climate and sustainability. In addition, in the field of aquatic physics there are strong links to the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Sciences and Technology (EAWAG) where Environmental Physics group was formed about 30 years ago.
  • Institute for Human-Environment Systems
    The Institute for Human-Environment Systems (HES), which was founded January 1st, 2004, runs research and teaching in the following fields: Environmental Decision Making, Environmental Policy, Environmental Behavior

» NGO and Independent Institutions

• Factor AG
  Factor Consulting + Management Ltd. is a consultancy located in Zurich, Switzerland. Factor was founded in 1999 and is politically and economically independent. At Factor, we specialize in sustainable energy use and climate change mitigation.
• New Orientation for the Economy in the 21st century (Noé 21)
  Noe21 defines itself as a capacity and action centre promoting solutions to global climate change. Noe21 inscribes itself in the Swiss culture of consensus building and cooperation, respecting interpersonal relationships and adopting a non-dogmatic approach.

» Projects and Programmes

• NCCR Climate Swiss Climate Research
  The National Centre of Competence in Research on Climate (NCCR Climate), which is based in Bern, Switzerland , was established in 2001 with the aim of contributing substantially towards this concern . Our aim is to better understand the climate system by carrying out interdisciplinary research on its variability and its potential for change.The NCCR Climate is a scientific network bringing together 130 researchers from 13 partner institutions.
• National Research Programme "Sustainable Development of the Built Environment" (NRP 54)
  The national research programme "sustainable development of the built environment" (NRP 54) is developing scientific principles that will help to bring about a more sustainable development in Switzerland's towns and cities, as well as its transport networks. Sustainable development means maintaining an equilibrium between the preservation of natural resources, favourable economic conditions and a high quality of life.
• Swiss Priority Programme Environment
  Between 1992 and 2000, approx. 250 research projects were realised in the context of SPP Environment. The Synthesis Report is based upon their research results; abstracts are sorted by subject. The compilation of the report was carried out by a Team of Authors who evaluated these results in continuous communication with project members. Two auxiliary groups consisting of representatives from SPP Environment («Syntex Group») and from the private sector, politics, the administration and society at large («Synlog Group») supported the Synthesis Team in their work.

» Datasources

• Bundesamt f. Statistik: Raum und Umwelt (Territory and environment)
• World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS)
  As a contribution to the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS / GTOS) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and to the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the WGMS of the International Commission on Snow and Ice (ICSI / IAHS) and the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services (FAGS / ICSU) today collects and publishes worldwide standardized glacier data. At present, the WGMS gets important financial and logistic support from the University of Zürich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich.
• Ökomedia online (D)
  Ökomedia Online helps you to find ecology-related information. Search through the abstract data base OekoDok, order interesting documents on-line, study selected news of ecological interest published on the Internet, collect material on sources of information from the Ökomedia web site data base and call up the diary of ecology-related events.

» International Institutions and Projects Located in Switzerland

• World Radiation Center/Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos
  The "Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos" (PMOD) was founded in 1907 by Carl Dorno as a privately operated institute. In 1971 the PMOD was designated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to serve as a World Radiation Center (WRC). The operation of the WRC was offered by the Swiss government to WMO as a contribution of Switzerland to the World Weather Watch Program (WWW). A further service was added in 1996 with the operation of the World Optical depth Research and Calibration Center (WORCC), a Swiss contribution to the Global Atmosphere Watch of WMO.