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No. 392 | 21.09.2021
Kurz und kräftig. Die wöchentliche Dosis Aussenpolitik von foraus und der SGA. Heute über Geoengineering und das fehlende internationale Regelwerk hierzu. Wir wünschen Ihnen eine gute Lektüre!
When states tweak the weather
With climate events getting more destructive as a consequence of global warming, humankind is scurrying to find solutions. And why be subject to the weather, when you can simply control it?
Certain states and private actors are avid to apply geoengineering techniques. In July 2021, the United Arab Emirates released electric charges into clouds through drones, in order to generate rain and cool temperatures. And a planned Harvard experiment would have involved inserting aerosols into the stratosphere in order to disperse sunlight and lessen global warming, but it was put a halt to earlier this year, for the time being. Such solar radiation management remains largely unregulated on the international level and its effects are highly disputed. In 2019, Switzerland unsuccessfully submitted a resolution to the UN Environment Assembly for an assessment and potential governance frameworks. There is a consensus that the matter is important - but the international community has yet to make up its mind on how to handle the challenges. Meanwhile, Switzerland is considering making a second attempt - perhaps with new partners.
Kurzmitteilungen Communiqué de presse du foraus : Nouvelle co-direction : le foraus renforce sa présence dans la Genève internationale et en Suisse romande Le foraus se réorganise : Darius Farman, à Genève, et Lukas Hupfer, à Zurich, dirigeront désormais les futures activités du think tank de politique étrangère en tant que co-directeurs. Le think tank étend ainsi ses activités en Suisse romande et renforce sa position d'interface pour les think tanks de la Genève internationale. foraus-Blog: From staying home to staying close by Sofie Isler The author puts forward that, coming out of this pandemic, the Swiss government should use our new gained appreciation of close-by travel in order to curb CO2-Emissions through air travel. A short appeal to reutilize what we have experienced over the last 18 months. foraus-Blog: Vertical Greening: When cities and nature grow together by Carolina Wüthrich and Susanne Fratzky Can vertical greening be sustainable from an ecological as well as from a social and economic point of view? The authors look at the benefits of vertical greening and how it could be promoted in compliance with the Swiss spatial planning legislation. SGA-Editorial: Unser heimlicher Nationalfeiertag von Rudolf Wyder Gedenktage und Jubiläen sind nicht harmlos. Sie prägen das Selbstbild. Das hat Konsequenzen. Gerade auch für die Aussenbeziehungen der Schweiz.
The EU Commission's 'Connecting Europe Express' is currently criss-crossing the continent, having left Lisbon on 2 September and arriving in Paris on 7 October, with a stop in Berne on 27 September. In this Euronews video, special focus is put on Austria's railway system.
Agenda
27 September 2021: Albert Hirschmann Centre on Democracy – online event – My Life As A Judge On The ICTR And The ICC: Did I Make A Difference? with Dr. Navi Pillay This event is part of the Public Lecture Series "Women's Voices in the International Judiciary", which aims to reflect on the lack of diversity in the international judiciary – especially gender diversity –, which raises concerns not just in terms of descriptive representation and symbolic self-identification, but also regarding unconscious bias and systemic privileging of specific ideologies or positions in the process of adjudication. Monday, 27 September 2021, 6.30 - 8.00pm, online
28. September 2021: SGA-Event – Ist die EU ein (un-)soziales Projekt? / Is the EU an (un-)social project? Kommt es nach der Corona-Krise zur sozialen Krise wie nach dem Finanzcrash von 2008? Oder hat die EU dazu gelernt? Stellt die 2017 proklamierte «Europäische Säule sozialer Rechte» einen Wendepunkt dar oder handelt es sich bloss um ein Lippenbekenntnis? Mit Luca Visentini (Generalsekretär des Europäischen Gewerkschaftsbundes ETUC), Silja Häusermann (Professorin Universität Zürich) und Eric Nussbaumer (Präsident der Europäischen Bewegung Schweiz, Nationalrat) Dienstag, 28. September 2021, 18:30 bis 20:00 Uhr, Aula der Universität Zürich (Raum KOL-G-201), Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zürich
29 September 2021: foraus Asia Program – online event – China's influence on Europe - a foresight perspective With Christian Takushi (Macro Economist, specialist for Currencies, Emerging Markets and Geopolitics). China’s geopolitical ambitions have been analyzed by western countries abundantly. In this presentation, followed by an in-depth discussion, we would like to go a step further: We will look into potential future scenarios of Sino European relations with a focus on economic and security developments. Wednesday, 29 September 2021, 12.00 - 1.00pm, online
6. Oktober 2021: Event von foraus Bern, GSUN, UNYA und MUN Bern – A Plus for Peace? Die Schweizer Kandidatur für den UN Sicherheitsrat Einführung mit Joseph Deiss (ehemaliger Bundesrat, 65. Präsident der Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen) und Esther Neuhaus (Chefin Sektion Sicherheitsrat, EDA). Podiumsdiskussion mit Frank Grütter (Botschafter, Chef der Abteilung UNO, EDA), Linda Maduz (Senior researcher Global Security Team, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zürich) und Jenö Staehelin (erster Schweizer UNO Botschafter), moderiert von Georg Häsler (NZZ-Bundeshaus-Redaktor, Sicherheitspolitik). Mittwoch, 6. Oktober 2021, 18:30 - 20:30 Uhr, Universität Bern
Podcast: El Salvador has rolled out Bitcoin as official legal tender. But critics say president Bukele seeks to distract from other problems. Al Jazeera's The Take discusses the topic in its latest episode.
Lukas Hupfer Co-Geschäftsführer foraus - Forum Aussenpolitik Darius Farman Co-directeur foraus - Forum de politique étrangère