Issues concerning the generation, transportation, storage and efficiency of energy in the Alps will coordinated more closely in the future. That was the decision today in Poschiavo, Canton Grisons, of the environment ministers at the Alpine Conference, the decision-making body of the Alpine Convention. The meeting was chaired by Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard. The XII Alpine Conference, the high point of the Swiss Presidency of the Alpine Convention, also marked the end of Switzerland's first AlpWeek.

Switzerland is hosting an AlpWeek for the first time. Under the «Renewable Alps» banner, around 350 delegates are meeting in Valposchiavo from 5-8 September to discuss the current and future challenges facing the Alpine region. Opening the event, Director of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) Maria Lezzi emphasized that further development in the Alps must have a sustainable foundation. A balance between differing interests must therefore be sought.

At the invitation of Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, the Alpine countries' environment ministers will gather on 7 September 2012 in Poschiavo, Canton Grisons, for the Alpine Conference. Their talks will centre on ways in which the Alpine space can be protected and used sustainably at the same time. For the first time, the Alpine Conference is embedded in an AlpWeek, which offers interested parties a platform for exchange about the challenges faced by the Alpine region. At the end of the Conference, Federal Councillor Leuthard will chair the traditional quadripartite meeting of German-speaking environment ministers.

Switzerland currently holds the Presidency of the Alpine Convention. As part of this Presidency, it will be hosting the Alpine Conference and the first-ever AlpWeek in Switzerland from 5 to 8 September 2012.

Deep geological repositories for radioactive waste have economic, ecological and social impacts on a siting region. These need to be identified objectively and as early as possible so that action can be taken to prevent negative impacts and at the same time opportunities for positive developments can be exploited. It is with these objectives in mind that the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has been carrying out an intercantonal socioeconomic and ecological study since 2011 in all potential siting regions. The first interim report on the regional economic impacts of a deep geological repository is now available.

The UN member states renewed the global commitment to sustainable development with their acceptance of a closing document at the UN Conference on Sustainability in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Switzerland was represented at the conference by Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard. The Rio resolution marked the introduction of the green economy to the global policy agenda. The Rio final document achieves some progress, such as the creation of goals for sustainable development, but does not meet the challenge it poses in all respects.

The final preparatory conference for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development was forced to conclude without agreement on the night of Friday, 15 June. Negotiations will now continue under the aegis of Brazil. The commitment to sustainable development is due to be renewed and greater significance given to the green economy at the summit.

From 11 to 19 June 2012, in a series of video messages on the Swiss internet platform www.rio20.ch, a number of famous people will be giving their views on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held from 20 to 22 June in Rio de Janeiro. They include President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Bertrand Piccard and skier Lara Gut.

On 8 June 2012, the Federal Council appointed the Swiss delegation to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development from 20 to 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The federal government will be represented by President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. The conference should renew the commitment to sustainable development and provide a forum for discussing the green economy at the highest political level.

(FSO/ARE) - On average, each Swiss resident covered a daily dis-tance of almost 37 kilometres within Switzerland in 2010. Compared with 2005, the daily distance increased by about 4%, which is primarily attributable to rail kilometres. These figures are from the Mobility and Transport Microcensus conducted by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE). This microcensus is part of the new modular census which analyses today's accelerated social change much more effectively than was previously the case.