If Switzerland is to achieve its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, it needs carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and negative emissions technologies (NETs) for emissions that are difficult to avoid. These technologies are not yet widely available. On 18 May 2022, the Federal Council approved a report that sets out measures and conditions that will promote the expansion of CCS and NETs to the required extent by 2050.
CCS and NETs are a vital element in Switzerland's climate policy. Only by using CCS and NETs can Switzerland achieve its net-zero target by 2050 and ensure a net-negative emissions balance after 2050. Given the limited potential for storing carbon in Switzerland, cooperation with other countries is key. By expanding CCS and NETs, Switzerland can firmly establish its pioneering role as a location for innovative research and industry.
Pioneering phase and targeted scaling-up phase
The Federal Council published a report in May 2022 setting out how these technologies can be gradually expanded. This envisages expansion in two phases: a pioneering phase up to 2030 and a targeted scaling-up phase up to 2050. The current legal framework largely provides a suitable environment for the first CCS/NET applications as part of the pioneering phase up to 2030. More legal developments are necessary for the scaling-up phase after 2030, e.g. regarding CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.
New infrastructure for CCS/NETs
Across both phases up to 2050, CCS will need to be installed in industrial plants, for example in the waste treatment and cement sectors. Transporting CO2 and storing it in Switzerland or abroad requires new infrastructure, such as pipelines and underground storage facilities and storage in building materials. Investments in NETs are also necessary, and in this context bilateral climate protection agreements with partner countries are also required.
Switzerland’s 2021 long-term climate strategy estimates that storage of around 12 million tonnes of CO2 will be required by 2050. Furthermore, a Federal Council report published in February 2024 estimates that additional negative emissions of one to two million tonnes per year will be needed to balance CO2 emissions from international aviation in 2050.
More information on capturing, removing and storing carbon and on the measures involved can be found here:
Further information
Last modification 22.09.2025
