Looking for inspiring summer reads? Our ETH Ambassadors have spent the first half of 2026 exploring climate change from multiple perspectives, from global energy policy and planetary boundaries to Alpine hazards, drought research and institutional climate action.

This Summer Reading List brings together six stories that highlight how students, researchers and communities are responding to one of the greatest challenges of our time. Whether you are interested in science, policy, technology or human resilience, these articles offer fresh insights and personal perspectives from across the ETH community.

1. CERAWeek 2026: Shaping the Energy Future during a Global Energy Crisis

“Only strong and consistent policy frameworks will enable achieving climate targets.”

Three ETH students, Vivian Chen, Benedikt Buhk and Florian Marco Možina, travel to Houston to attend one of the world’s most influential energy conferences. Their reflections offer a behind-the-scenes look at global debates on energy security, climate policy and the role of academia in shaping the future of energy.

Read the article.

2. When Johan Speaks, You Listen

Are We Still Operating Within Earth’s Safe Limits?

In this article, Viktoria Österdahl reflects on a remarkable Global Lecture at ETH Zürich featuring leading climate scientist Johan Rockström and ETH Assistant Professor Millie Chapman, exploring one of the defining questions of our time: how do we keep humanity within a safe operating space on our planet?

Read the article.

3. EAGLE Hackathon at SLF: Mass Movement Detection in the Alps

What happens when students from different disciplines come together to tackle real-world challenges in the Alps?

In our latest ETH Ambassadors Blog, ETH Zürich students Bhawana Bhawana, Lilian Obrist and Sujani Mugunthan share their experience of detecting mass movements posing a risk for infrastructure and people living in alpine regions as part of the EAGLE Hackathon project at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL in Davos.

Read the article.

4. Net Zero Day: What Institutional Climate Action Looks Like from the Inside

What does climate action actually look like behind the scenes of a university?

Climate action is often discussed in abstract terms. In this article, Sebastian Kahlert shows what it looks like in practice at ETH Zürich, highlighting the people, projects and decisions that contribute to the university’s Net Zero ambitions.

Read the article.

5. From River Droughts to Data Clusters: Internship at SLF

What does it take to understand why rivers run dry?

In this article, ETH Zürich’s Lydia Seebauer shares how she explored the hidden patterns behind river droughts during her internship at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF.

By working with decades of hydrometeorological data and learning to apply clustering techniques, she uncovered how different processes shape drought events across time and regions. From uncertainty at the start to meaningful insights, her journey highlights what research really looks like.

Read the article. 

6. Brienz – A Village on the Verge of a New Beginning

What does a mayor do when his entire village must leave its homes?

In Brienz (GR), this question became reality. After more than a year of evacuation due to a moving mountainside, the village of Brienz is now entering a new chapter. In this article, Charles Bara recaps a talk by Daniel Albertin, Mayor of Albula/Alvra: a deeply personal account of leadership, uncertainty and responsibility, guiding a small Alpine community through an unprecedented natural hazard.

Read the article.

Together, these six stories demonstrate that climate change is more than an environmental issue. It is a challenge that touches energy systems, ecosystems, infrastructure, communities and policymaking. They also show that solutions emerge through collaboration between science, society and the next generation of researchers.

We hope these articles inspire you to explore new perspectives, ask critical questions and discover how research can help shape a more sustainable future.

The world is in the grip of a housing crisis of historic proportions. The World Cities Report 2026 (UN-Habitat), launched at the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) earlier in May this year, left us genuinely struck by the scale: 3.4 billion people lack adequate housing, the global deficit grew from 251 to 288 million units between 2010 and 2023, and climate hazards could destroy 167 million more homes by 2040. Yet what moved us equally was seeing, across five days of the forum, the breadth of local solutions from every region of the world, approaches grounded in community, place and governance, yet pointing toward the same conclusion: that this crisis demands systemic change, not just technical fixes. It was against this backdrop that we arrived in Baku not only to witness the debate, but to contribute to shaping it.

Fernando Túlio Franco: Brownfields, Bus Corridors and the Climate–Housing Nexus

I arrived with a dual agenda: a WUF Academy keynote on The Climate-Housing Nexus Dialogue, exploring how decarbonisation and socio-territorial inequalities can be addressed together, and a C40/Arup/Urban Partners panel on brownfield regeneration, Europe’s most underused lever for tackling the housing and climate crises. My presentation drew on the Sarajevo Code design studio and a São Paulo case study, weaving together legal frameworks, social housing policies, participatory governance, and Land Value Capture mechanisms.

Mashael Yazdanie: Urban Energy, Sufficiency and Resilience

I brought an integrated urban energy, sufficiency, and resilience perspective to four WUF13 sessions, with a focus on housing, governance, and citizen participation: a UNDP-hosted dialogue on resilient housing systems; two sessions on citizen participation and disaster preparedness at the NGO Pavilion; and a session on translating global housing commitments into local action at the Azerbaijan Pavilion, co-convened with Tural Aliyev. My research asks a question rarely posed at large forums: how much is enough to live well within ecological limits? In Baku, I opened conversations about the governance and citizen engagement levers needed to make sufficiency a viable urban strategy.

Tural Aliyev: Governing the Housing Crisis Across Scales

I spoke across three panels on citizen participation, disaster preparedness, and cross-scale housing governance. Being in Baku carried a particular resonance: as a Swiss researcher with Azerbaijani origins at ETH Zurich, I embody the bridge between local knowledge and international academic excellence that WUF13 sought to build.

What Comes Next

A further highlight was the Swiss Ambassador reception, bringing together SECO representatives, senior UN officials, and researchers: a vivid example of science–policy–practice in action.

WUF13 is not an endpoint. The Baku Call to Action calls for housing to be reprioritised as a human right, for stronger state stewardship over land and finance, and for the next decade of World Urban Forums to be a decade of action. Bridging academy and city, connecting evidence to policy, designing at the intersection of climate, housing, and society; this is what we bring back from Baku. The work continues.

1,600 km through the Alps, from Munich to Monaco – all by bike. This is what a group of Dutch cyclists are doing this September. Their goal: to give Alpine glaciers a voice and raise awareness of climate change. As glaciologists from ETH Zurich, my office mate Aaron Cremona and I joined them for one day. Together, we rode over the Furkapass and visited the Rhonegletscher, one of Switzerland’s largest glaciers. Here are my fresh impressions of a memorable day.

Tuesday, 2 September 2025. An early train from Zurich drops me in Göschenen, where I meet Joost Brinkman, co-founder of the Dutch initiative Cycling for Climate. This organisation promotes awareness of the climate crisis by combining physical activity with fun. This year, they went big: the Glorious Glacier Ride, an ode to Alpine glaciers from Munich to Monaco. Covering 1,600 km of mountain roads across Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France, the ride sheds light on the dramatic retreat of glaciers caused by global warming.

Six months ago, Cycling for Climate contacted ETH to help spread the word – and perhaps join for a stage. The ride is open to anyone, whether for a single day or the entire journey. At VAW, the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology, we said: “Yes!”

On the train, I meet Joost and the team for the first time. Around ten riders stand out immediately in their striking climate-stripe jerseys. Each coloured stripe represents annual temperature anomalies since 1900: red for hotter years, blue for cooler ones. The message is clear – global temperatures are rising, largely due to CO₂ emissions. Along the way, the riders are collecting donations to offset past emissions and promote alternatives to fossil fuels.

I introduce myself: I am a postdoc at ETH Zurich and researching glacial hydrology – how ice and water interact – and glacier-related natural hazards. Aaron, who just defended his doctorate last week, focused his work on improving predictions of glacier melt in the near future.

“How’s the mood?” I ask the group. Admiringly, I add: “You’ve already been riding for five days!” I expect a firm yes with proud smiles. Instead, Joost replies slowly: “Well, there have been better days.” I don’t dare ask why. Exhaustion is written on their faces. I wonder: how will this day unfold?

We get off the train in Andermatt. It’s 8 a.m. The weather is far from convincing: light rain, low clouds clinging to the valley floor, and a chill that hints at snowflakes on the Furkapass, still 1,000 metres higher. Standing at 2,400 m, the pass connects the cantons of Uri and Valais. It’s our main objective – a classic climb for cyclists, motorbikers, and camper vans. Today, though, the road is almost empty. Perhaps because of the weather.

The stage officially begins in front of the town hall, where a few more riders join us. Some heard about the ride on social media or from friends, others received a personal invitation. After a few encouraging words from the mayor – the town supports the project – the peloton rolls out, each rider settling into their own pace. Aaron and I, though not properly trained cyclists, still look relatively fresh compared to the veterans who have ridden for days without rest.

Climbing silently through drizzle and cold, we pass Pepijn. His pace is steady, but his bowed head reveals the struggle. “I have no power in my legs this morning. Maybe it comes later,” he mutters. I exchange a glance with Aaron, who nods knowingly. These riders are running on motivation alone – and it’s inspiring.

Less than two hours later, we all gather at Belvedere on the Valais side. From there, we hike to the Rhonegletscher, Switzerland’s 8th largest glacier. The sun makes timid appearances, enough to warm the air, but the view before us chills the mood. Like all Alpine glaciers, this one has suffered immense losses – about 10% of its volume gone in just 2022 and 2023.

The changes are written in the landscape: the glacier tongue now ends in a lake that has steadily grown since forming 20 years ago. Historic photos brought by the group show a once bright and healthy tongue; today, the ice appears dark, coated with years of accumulated dust. Nearby, thick white blankets once used to protect a tourist ice cave are torn open after the cave roof collapsed. The small patches of ice left behind are “dead ice” – they won’t survive the year.

In the eyes of my companions, I see a paradoxical mix of feelings. They knew glaciers were shrinking; they’ve seen the pictures. But standing face to face with the reality is different. For a brief moment, they seem overwhelmed by something much larger than themselves: climate change, international politics, the disintegration of once-glorious glaciers.

At the glacier margin, I speak to the team while tourists gather around. I explain how much ice has been lost since 2000, and how much is already committed to be lost – about 30% of Alpine ice by 2050, no matter what we do, because today’s glaciers are responding to past CO₂ emissions. I pause, then smile: “This also means we can still save half the ice by the end of the century, if we meet the Paris Agreement targets.”

“Look around,” I say. “Imagine half of this gone – but half still here. Snow still glittering in summer, ice still flowing. That half is worth fighting for.”

We take a group picture, then roll back onto the road. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I sense new resilience and hope in the rhythm of the peloton.

The descent is pure joy – gravity on our side. In Visp, our paths diverge: I return to Zurich while they continue toward Zermatt, ready to meet another glacier, welcome new riders, and spread the word in their colourful striped jerseys.

On the train, I reflect. We shared more than just a stage today. We shared the rain and cold wind of the Furkapass, the effort of moving forward with minimal emissions. Travel “by fair means” comes at a cost, but the reward is greater: horizons earned honestly, landscapes crossed at a human pace, and meaningful encounters with the people who live there. And, of course, the endorphins – which never fail to make you happy. What we truly shared, though, were values. I picture this group of riders heading south, over countless mountain passes, through storms, past vanishing glaciers – connecting with more people along the way, building a growing, borderless family.