Three years ago, the institutions of the ETH Domain came together to actively promote decarbonisation in Switzerland through the Speed2zero initiative. The initiative has now come to an end, and project director Reto Knutti looks back at what was achieved.
Who came up with the idea of Speed2zero, and what was the motivation behind it?
Reto Knutti: The idea came about over the course of many years. As Associate Vice President for Sustainability, I saw time and time again that we have a vast amount of knowledge, but it often remains confined to individual disciplines. With Speed2zero, we wanted to change that. We wanted to think about energy, climate, biodiversity and net zero together and bridge the gap between science, society and politics. The joint initiatives of the ETH Domain gave us the scope we needed for the first time.
The initiative has now come to an end. What are your main insights from it?
There are many, but above all, we learned that the greatest obstacles are neither technical nor financial. The key question is what we implement and where and how we do it. Here is an example: we know how to build a wind turbine or a solar installation, but do we know where to place them and where they will be most effective? Speed2zero provided valuable tools, such as the Swiss SolarWind Explorer . This enables energy production, biodiversity and landscape conservation to be visualised spatially, helping us identify suitable areas for wind turbines or solar energy installations.
What surprised you most?
How far apart the research areas of energy, climate and biodiversity are in some cases. For example, energy system models do not take climate extremes or climate change into account. We built the first model that can calculate supply reliability for extreme weather events. The fact that insurance companies are now also showing an interest in this demonstrates the value of this type of approach.
About
Reto Knutti has been a Full Professor of Climate Physics at ETH Zurich for almost 20 years. His work involves climate system modelling and the incorporation of scientific findings into societal and political contexts.
Speed2zero deliberately looked at energy, climate and biodiversity targets together - is that not too great an undertaking?
The project was ambitious - and deliberately so. In contrast to many traditional research projects, Speed2zero did not set everything in stone from the outset. Research should be conducted without prejudging the outcome, and, like start-ups, Speed2zero accepted that failure was part of the process. So, some sub-projects are already proving valuable, while others are unlikely to ever get off the ground.
One objective was to develop action plans for infrastructure and technology. What progress has been made on this?
Action plans might be overstating it slightly. Ultimately, it is the policymakers who decide what gets done. But we can provide tools and technologies, and that works on various levels. Empa has developed an insulating material made from plant matter. While the production of conventional insulating materials results in high CO₂ emissions, this new material permanently binds CO₂.
The goal is to achieve net zero by 2050. What did Speed2zero do to contribute towards this?
We worked on a lot of exciting projects, but we are just at the beginning. What is more important, I think, is that we have established networks across different regions and institutions and within the worlds of politics and business. We now understand everybody's perspectives more quickly.
Is Speed2zero moving quickly enough or is it already too late in light of the climate crisis?
We are moving too slowly - we are well aware of that. The political and societal will is not strong enough at present, and other issues, such as wars, geopolitics, migration and AI, are dominating the agenda. However, giving up is not an option. In addition, many solutions are attractive from an economic perspective. We are reducing our long-term dependence on imported fossil fuels, strengthening our domestic electricity supply, promoting innovation and improving the quality of life in Switzerland through clean air, healthy ecosystems and modern infrastructure.
What is next?
Unfortunately, due to federal austerity measures, the joint initiatives will not be continued. We are therefore seeking new ways to make cross-disciplinary projects like this possible. We also need to step up our dialogue with policymakers. The new Albert Einstein School of Public Policy provides a vital framework for this. It will help us further establish issues such as climate, energy and biodiversity across society, the economy and politics.
