Greenhouse gas emissions of the Swiss industrial sector higher than assumed
The greenhouse gas emissions of the Swiss industrial sector are around 600,000 tons of CO2 equivalents higher annually than previously assumed. The reason for this is a previously unknown source of nitrous oxide from the production of the chemical and pharmaceutical company Lonza AG.
Lonza's nitrous oxide emissions of around 600,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2-eq) per year account for around 1 percent of Switzerland's annual greenhouse gas emissions. The company identified these in spring 2018 during a control measurement at the production site in Visp (VS) and subsequently reported them to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The FOEN was then able to prove the source of the nitrous oxide in an independent expert opinion. Lonza is included in the Swiss Emissions Trading System (ETS) and must now also surrender the necessary emission rights or, to a limited extent, foreign certificates to the federal government for these emissions.
The climate-damaging nitrous oxide is produced during the production of the vitamin niacin. The Lonza production plant has been in operation since 1971. Nitrous oxide emissions are not regulated in the Ordinance on Air Pollution Control. For this reason, Lonza has not investigated them in the context of vitamin production. Lonza has made a commitment to the FOEN to install a catalytic converter by the end of 2021 at the latest that will reduce these emissions by at least 98 percent. The company has initiated the necessary steps to achieve this.
Impact on Switzerland's climate targets
Internationally, Switzerland has committed under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce its emissions by an average of 15.8 percent between 2013-2020 compared to 1990 levels. Due to international rules, the 1990 baseline cannot be adjusted retroactively. The additional approximately 600,000 metric tons of CO2-eq per year must therefore be accounted for during the entire commitment period and will have a negative impact on the achievement of Switzerland's climate targets.
In order to nevertheless achieve the Kyoto Protocol target, the Climate Cent Foundation will acquire foreign certificates amounting to 5 million tons of CO2 and transfer them to the Swiss Confederation. For this purpose, the Foundation will use part of the Foundation's assets remaining after the fulfilment of its contractual obligations. The national reduction target in the CO2 Act is 20 percent in 2020 compared to 1990. This target, which must be achieved exclusively through domestic measures, is now tightened by 600,000 tons of CO2-eq.
How is the national greenhouse gas inventory compiled?
The greenhouse gas inventory is a comprehensive set of emission statistics according to the requirements of the United Nations Climate Convention. Greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas) are calculated from energy consumption according to the total energy statistics of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial plants, as is the case with Lonza's nitrous oxide emissions, are collected by the companies concerned themselves and reported to the FOEN as part of their annual reporting. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2018 will be published in April 2020.
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