By Olivia Le Poidevin

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 city.

Geneva, 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 Organization.

The 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 Geneva.

On Tuesday, temperatures hit 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) with the government issuing heat warnings for wester

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