ISTP News

New methodology to project future costs of novel technologies suggests that cost of direct air carbon capture will decrease less than previously hoped. The novel method proposed by ETH researchers combines technology-inherent characteristics with component-based experience curves.

This past weekend, ETH Zurich hosted the IDEA League Challenge Programme. The event, marking the programme's midway point, brought together 40 highly skilled Bachelor's and Master's students. These students engaged in an intensive exploration of global water management issues, focusing on the identification and resolution of key conflicts.

Swiss citizens express strong preferences for a sustainable, circular economy. But do their actions align with their intentions? Sarah Gomm and Clara Brügge shed light on the underlying motivations and barriers.

The ISTP, in collaboration with The Energy Science Center (ESC), is thrilled to announce the return of "Energy Now!" – an initiative focused on addressing the most pressing challenges in building a sustainable Swiss energy system. The event's kick-off, "Energy Now! 2.0," is scheduled for October 2nd, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Dozentenfoyer (HG K 30.5) at ETH Zurich. Make sure to secure your spot now!

Join us for the upcoming seminar on the transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) and its effects on public revenues and road financing. The series is a collaboration between the ISTP and the Center for Sustainable Future Mobility (CSFM). This event will feature talks from various experts that explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the rise of EVs and the evolving landscape of road funding.

After a week of interactive keynotes, torrential rain, case study analysis, thunderstorms, and captivating poster presentations, the 2023 Summer School on Energy Technology, Policy, and Politics has officially come to a close. 

Doctoral Student Jakob Pruess Explores Complexities of EPR Design, Implementation, and Transfer Dynamics in the European Union  

The Swiss Minerals Observatory has released a synthesis report that explores the global impacts of mining for minerals and metals. The research, which was conducted from 2017 to 2022 and incorporates perspectives from natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering, identifies policy implications for reducing the environmental and health effects of the industry.

Mining can have serious consequences for nature and the health of the population. Especially in countries of the Global South, where environmental laws are often only inconsistently implemented. In Zimbabwe, people have been fighting water pollution from coal mining for years. But they were powerless against the operators – until doctoral student Désirée Ruppen launched a citizen science project in 2018. [text is inspired by an original Eawag - Aquatic Research report]

In his interview with ETH Corporate Communications, the ISTP Director Tobias Schmidt talked about decarbonisation, the role of technological transformation and his personal journey from engineer to policy researcher. 

"Overall, it can be seen that a large proportion of the study participants perceive environmental and climate protection as a key problem in Switzerland."

ISTP members Michael Brander, Thomas Bernauer, Matthias Huss present the first experimental evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa that low-cost, hermetic storage bags can reduce the prevalence of severe food insecurity by 38% in the lean season.

The call for ETH4D Research Challenges is now open. Proposals need to address a clearly defined research question that has the objective of creating a positive impact for communities in a low-​ or lower middle-​income country. All proposals will be evaluated by an ETH4D selection committee and the application deadline is September 30^th.

Soil systems are important environmental assets as they are the basis for food production and of great importance for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. A recent paper by Thomas Sonderegger, in collaboration with ISTP Researchers Stephan Pfister and Prof. Stefanie Hellweg, deals with the limited available life cycle impact assessment methods for the natural resource soil. Their results indicate that a scenario without any conservation measures leads to substantial productivity losses.

Searched for and found: climate researchers can now detect the fingerprint of global warming in daily weather observations at the global scale. They are thus amending a long-​established paradigm: weather is not climate – but climate change can now be detected in daily weather. (Re-​post from ETH News)

The two popular initiatives on drinking water and a ban on pesticides are justified, but inflexible. Professor for Aquatic Chemistry at ETH Zurich Bernhard Wehrli calls for a counterproposal to tackle the issue. (Re-​post from ETH News)

(Repost from ETH Zukunftsblog) The Paris Agreement relies on voluntary and therefore weak commitments. But contrary to popular belief, if some countries “free-ride”, this does not undermine the commitment of others, writes Thomas Bernauer.