Bilateral agreements on emission reductions and carbon storage abroad
Under the Paris Agreement, Switzerland has committed to halving its emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 (Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC). This is to be achieved in part by funding climate protection projects abroad. Such bilateral or plurilateral cooperation is envisaged under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. To this end, Switzerland is concluding a number of bilateral treaties, which set the cooperation framework and state the requirements for recognition of the international transfer of emission reductions by the treaty parties. These agreements thus establish a legal basis for commercial contracts between buyers and sellers of emission reductions. Interested countries or stakeholders can contact the Federal Office for the Environment at carbonoffset@bafu.admin.ch. The projects authorised under the bilateral agreements can be found here.
Switzerland intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. For hard-to-cut emissions, the Federal Council's long-term climate strategy and its report proposes the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and negative emission technologies (NET) (CO2 capture, removal and storage). Switzerland intends to cooperate with various countries in this respect. International agreements will thus establish the framework for carbon storage abroad to be counted towards Switzerland's climate target.
