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Al Etihad
5 days ago
- Climate
- Al Etihad
Geneva makes public transport temporarily free to combat pollution spike
13 Aug 2025 16:44 GENEVA (REUTERS)Public transport will be temporarily free of charge in Geneva, in a first for Switzerland, as part of a series of measures aimed at tackling a spike in pollution in the in the western French-speaking part of Switzerland, is experiencing a severe peak of ozone pollution - a harmful gas that can cause problems breathing and can trigger headaches and asthma attacks, according to the World Health city's anti-smog system showed that ozone concentrations had exceeded an environmental health safety threshold of 180 micrograms per cubic meter over 24 hours, according to a statement by the Canton of Tuesday, temperatures hit 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) with the government issuing heat warnings for western and southern parts of temperatures and low cloud cover mean ozone pollutants accumulate and take longer to be dispersed, the Environment Office for the Canton of Geneva told response, public transport was made free for the first time on Wednesday throughout the canton, to encourage residents and visitors to switch from their cars to buses, trams, trains and boats, in order to reduce traffic emissions."The measures taken under this emergency protocol aim to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, notably by promoting public transport and limiting the circulation of the most polluting vehicles," the environment office will not require a ticket, and ticket checks will be suspended until the pollution improves, authorities said in a statement. Between 6am (0400 GMT) and 10pm, only lower-emitting cars are allowed to circulate within the centre of the city.
The Journal
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
A Dundalk woman is heading to the Arctic Circle to retrace the steps of Ireland's forgotten explorer
A SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR from Co Louth will tomorrow head off on an expedition to the Arctic Circle to retrace the steps of one of Ireland's overlooked explorers. Dr Niamh Shaw plans to retrace the steps of and research Dundalk man Leopold McClintock. McClintock, also known as Ireland's 'Arctic Fox', was born in Dundalk in 1819. He achieved fame as an Arctic explorer who discovered the fate of the failed 1845 expedition to the North American Arctic led by Sir John Franklin. McClintock's expedition discovered the only written record left behind by Franklin's team and was hailed as having solved the mystery of what had become of the veteran explorer. Despite this, he remains relatively unknown in comparison to other Irish explorers, such as Ernest Shackleton. Leopold McClintock, 1819 - 1907 Alamy Alamy Dr Niamh Shaw is to bring his story to life after her retracing of his journey in the Arctic Circle. In partnership with Louth County Council's Environment Office, Shaw will use her research and discoveries while on the expedition to develop an interactive walk in Louth to commemorate McClintock and his explorative achievements. The 16 day expedition kicks off on 7 July. Shaw, who has previously worked as an actor, a writer, an engineer and a performer, told The Journal that she has always had an interest in exploration and explorers. In school, she said, 'the only part of history that I loved was when we did the explorers: Vasco de Game, Pizarro – and the Antarctic was fascinating to me. Ernest Shackleton was kind of a science communicator who made the Antarctic really accessible, and he brought back stories. Advertisement 'I really got into it again around the 2000s and I just picked up loads of books about it. And I found this book about Leopold McClintock, started reading it, and realised he was from Dundalk, my hometown.' In the last five years in Dundalk there's been an art revival, Shaw said, leading to the commissioning and the painting of a mural of McClintock beside the town hall. In 2022, she applied to join the residency programme that sends a number of artists and communicators to the Arctic Circle each year, and in 2023 got a place, although she was unable to attend due to being in the Antarctic at that time. This year, however, she's looking forward to making the journey and bringing back her findings. Shaw is bringing with her a collection of postcards from locals which will be stamped in Svalbard Archipelago and brought back to Louth with her. She hopes to have the postcards serve as a 'passport' of sorts that tracks her future travels and allows this supporting her at home to feel involved in her journeys. The 'Forgotten Women' quilt. She will also be honouring Irish women of science whose stories have been forgotten by bringing the 'Forgotten Women' Quilt with her. The quilt has 12 panels commemorating Irish women in science. A Dundalk flag designed by the media department at Dundalk IT will also join her in the Arctic Circle. 'I'm going to be taking video footage and finding old footage from 100 years ago to show the difference in the size of glaciers, to show how much melt there has been up there,' Shaw said. As part of the interactive walk that will be set up by mid-October on her return, there will be a focus on the landmarks that relate to McClintock, 'but also some of the lovely nature parts'. QR codes set up along the walk will enable visitors to view some of Shaw's footage from the Arctic and other findings. Of McClintock, Shaw said that she hopes her work will draw more attention to his life and achievements. 'Everyone knows about [Ernest] Shackleton,' she said, 'but [McClintock] is largely unknown in Ireland. So I felt, 'Well, this guy's story needs to be told'. 'There's a mini exhibition about him in Dundalk County Museum, but I kind of wanted to make him more nationally known.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
