Switzerland is committed to carbon dioxide removal and storage (CDR) in order to offset unavoidable emissions, strengthen climate protection and promote sustainable growth.
With its net-zero emissions targets, Switzerland has also committed to carbon dioxide removal and storage (CDR). As outlined in the CDR roadmap published by the Federal Office for the Environment in 2022, as well as in the Climate Act and the Innovation Act (KIG), CDR will enable the offsetting of residual emissions from sectors that are difficult to reduce. CDR requires investment and regulation today in order to contribute to climate protection and offer economic opportunities tomorrow.
Our vision is a Switzerland that...
- ... uses CDR responsibly as a supplement to strict emission reductions, thereby taking on a pioneering role in the sustainable transformation to net zero.
- ... take on the challenge of building a domestic CDR sector, thereby contributing to the global challenge of removing gigatonnes of CO₂ from
the atmosphere. - ... leverage its potential to develop innovations and best practices that can be used globally for the sustainable expansion of CDR. Innovations and best practices may include CDR methods, policies and regulations, as well as market mechanisms and instruments aimed at mobilising finance for CDR without hindering reduction targets and the necessary transformation and decarbonisation of the economy.
In the CDR white paper "CDR strategies for a climate-neutral Switzerland" (2023), we have identified the following action points:
We have identified a series of measures that are necessary for the short-term scaling of CDR in Switzerland:
- Setting separate, legally binding targets and pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for carbon capture and storage (CDR);
- Demonstration and testing of novel CDR methods and integrated, cross-sectoral approaches;
- Cooperation with the EU and, in particular, with neighbouring countries to regulate CO₂ transport and storage;
- Developing legal frameworks and standards for trading CDR certificates and for national and cross-border CO₂ transport and storage that are comparable for all CDR methods and compatible with the EU;
- Developing and supporting niche markets, overcoming administrative and financial barriers, and mobilising early-stage investment by sharing part of the risk;
- Accelerating the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) at key point sources to pave the way for the carbon transport and storage infrastructure required for some CDR methods;
- Assessing, transparently discussing and managing the side effects, additional benefits and trade-offs of the CDR methods implemented.
In order to achieve net-zero emissions in the medium term, niche markets must be developed into a business model that enables continuous financial flows. To achieve this, an optimal policy mix of initial technology-promoting supply-side measures (e.g. contracts for difference, tax breaks, reverse auctions) and a policy-driven expansion of CDR markets (e.g. through the increasing inclusion of CDR in existing emissions pricing systems) should be created. The gradual introduction of requirements, such as obligations to combine with a limited carbon budget, would also allow for more direct control of the climate impact of Swiss emissions. At the same time, separate targets for CDR and emission reductions, as well as safeguards for long-term sustainability and planned adaptive governance, should be an integral part of all policy pathways.
In the long term, we as a society may need to consider a broader range of paradigms to achieve and manage net negative emissions. We recommend exploring alternative policy paradigms early on and giving them appropriate consideration through adaptive planning. Such paradigms could include channelling financial flows into CDR by pricing remaining non-CO₂ emissions, introducing a paradigm for treating toxic waste (where historical polluters or taxpayers contribute to financing the 'clean-up' of the atmosphere) or extending carbon prices in intertemporal space through a "carbon debt" levied on emissions from a certain point in time.
Membership
Be part of the solution
Working together for a climate-neutral future: actively support the expansion of innovative CO₂ removal projects in Switzerland. As a member, you will not only be helping the environment, but also becoming part of a growing community that is taking responsibility and enabling real change.