Switzerland and Iceland join forces to ‘capture’ CO2
The Swiss government hopes to meet part of its climate goals by burying CO2 in Iceland, according to a report on Monday by Swiss public broadcaster RTS. A driver of climate change, CO2 is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ds
The two countries have agreed to jointly develop “negative emission technologies” which involve extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it underground, according to the report.
At the heart of those efforts is the Zurich-based company Climeworks, which is developing technology for capturing CO2 from the air. In Iceland, the Carbfix project is experimenting with burying CO2 in the volcanic subsoil.
The two companies will soon launch their first joint installation. In a declaration of intent signed on July 20, the Swiss and Icelandic governments have committed to overseeing and supporting the new negative emission technologies.
Carbon neutrality at stake
Some view the large-scale development of carbon capture and storage technologies as a key step to limiting the effects of future climate change.
Swiss environmental economics expert Philippe Thalmann told RTS that such technologies are essential to achieving the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
“We will continue to emit greenhouse gases. Mainly in agriculture, in livestock farming, maybe in aviation, places where it is difficult to eliminate. But in return, we’re going to take CO2 out of the atmosphere,” said Thalmann, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL.
Exporting CO2 to Iceland
The Swiss subsoil, unlike the Icelandic basalt, is not conducive to the storage of CO2. The government’s strategy is thus to invest in Iceland and get carbon credit for the result, according to RTS. Exporting CO2 captured in Switzerland to Iceland is also under consideration in the medium term.
Thalmann stresses that such techniques don’t mean Switzerland doesn’t have to reduce its emissions: “It is a measure that is really complementary to everything else, it comes last. We shouldn’t think that we can continue to emit greenhouse gases, that it is not serious and that we will manage to clean it all up after.”
How to regulate global efforts to clean up the air we breathe is one of the questions that will be tackled at the next international climate conference (COP26).
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
This content was published on
Swiss voters have rejected legislation at the heart of the country’s strategy to abide by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.