In order to achieve the net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions, CO₂ must be removed from the biosphere, converted in an appropriate manner or permanently stored underground.

The Federal Council has set itself the goal of reducing Swiss greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. As there are sectors such as cement production and agriculture in which it will be very difficult to reduce emissions, Switzerland must either compensate for its domestic emissions abroad or remove CO₂ from the biosphere over the long term. The first option will no longer be possible in the longer term. This is because every country around the world will contribute to the complete avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions and optimise their own environmental balance to this end.

In the project “Deep underground heat reservoirs”Project “Deep underground heat reservoirs”, the potential of geological CO₂ storage in a specific geological structure was assessed This could absorb the emissions from Swiss waste incineration plants for around 25 years. In order to dispose of even greater quantities of CO₂ permanently, alternatives need to be developed. One option is to convert CO₂ into methane or aviation fuel. The creation of a European CO₂ transport infrastructure is also conceivable. This collects the CO₂ via pipelines and transports it to exploited oil and gas deposits.

It is urgently necessary for Switzerland to address intensively the issue of CO₂ disposal, analyse all of the available options in an integrated manner, become active in this area, including at an international level, and implement solutions that are feasible in the medium term. The research work has shown that an optimal solution for achieving net zero cannot be found at purely a national level.