The complexity of climate change mechanisms] Greenhouse gas emissions are of major importance today and the climate issue is expected to remain a question of utmost significance during coming decades and centuries. Climate models indicate how emissions interfere with climate processes and which temperature rise different emission scenarios may lead to. Through a literature survey, it has been our intention to single out some of the findings on climate change mechanisms , such as the interaction between emissions of greenhouse gases and global radiative forcing, on how the carbon and nitrogen cycles interfere with concentrations in the atmosphere and in what ways cost-effective abatement measures of greenhouse gases could be made. The focus in this respect has been on non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases. The present basis for action is comprehensive and robust to its order of magnitude, even if there are large uncertainties involved in the overall understanding of the processes. In the strategies elaborated by different actors these large uncertainties in sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, the interconnections with the climate and available climate models, have to be considered in research projects and future action plans.

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Dr. David Müller, ETH Science City

The Renewable Energy 2010 conference dedicated one of its workshops to what actions universities are taking develop their campuses sustainably. The workshop was organised by the AGS-affiliated Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) network of Japanese universities. Four sustainable campus projects from leading universities worldwide were presented, including the ETH and The University of Tokyo.

Air conditioning units on the historic buildings of the University of Tokyo Hongo campus

Speakers and participants at the workshop agreed about the enormous potential that campus projects have to connect teaching and infrastructure management in universities. Sustainability is not just the task of individuals, but needs to be the responsibility of communities, including university communities. For example, the ETH Science City campus looks for pathways towards sustainability that find a balance between different demands, between new buildings and renovation of the existing infrastructure, between workspace and nature, between infrastructure for teaching and meeting places for the exchange of ideas.

We emphasised that the motivation for change comes from this community potential. Tools for integrating the community into the campus development process are essential – good examples are competitions in which all the inhabitants of a campus can participate, or student projects to develop new ideas. Parallel to these formal channels, all participants should be able to bring their ideas directly to a central coordinator, so that the idea can be picked up and developed quickly. This could for example be done by a project or development office.

The discussion groups at the workshop all agreed that wide and intensive networking stimulates progress, particularly because sustainable urban planning is still at an early stage in many cities, and the sustainable campus community can make a significant contribution to this development. Science City is a beacon of sustainability in Zurich and a bridge between science, economy and the population. Sustainability stands for more than just energy efficiency and Science City realizes that integrated approach (see www.sciencecity.ethz.ch).

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The performance of future or long-term energy investments at industrial sites can be evaluated using consistent scenarios. By using a number of different scenarios that outline possible cornerstones of the future energy market, robust investments can be identified and the climate benefit can be evaluated. Consistent scenarios can be achieved by using the Energy Price and Carbon Balance Scenarios tool (the ENPAC tool) which is presented in this report. The tool is also used to develop eight scenarios from 2010 to 2050 with energy prices and associated CO₂ emissions for marginal use of the energy carriers.

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Scenarios for assessing investments in industry

The AGS Energy Flagship team at MIT released a synthesis report of research on future vehicles and fuels. “On the road in 2035: reducing transportation’s petroleum consumption and GHG emissions” first assesses the performance, cost, and life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of individual new vehicle and fuel technologies. The authors then evaluate the total impact of on-the-road fleets, and compare the potential of these technologies.

The report concludes that a 30-50% reduction in fuel consumption is feasible over the next 30 years through a combination of improved gasoline and diesel engines and transmissions, gasoline hybrids, and reductions in vehicle weight and drag – with costs in the range of US$1 500-4 500 per vehicle. Over the long term, plug-in hybrids and later still, hydrogen fuel cells may enter the fleet in numbers sufficient to have a significant impact on fuel use and emissions. In contrast, alternative fuels that could replace petroleum fuels in the near-term (such as current biofuels) are unlikely to change GHG emissions significantly.

Progress must therefore come from a comprehensive, coordinated effort to develop and market more efficient vehicles and benign fuels, and to find more sustainable ways to satisfy transportation demands.

Abstract and link to download the report