Strategic Area Climate and Environmental Sustainability – from research to practice

Joint between:

• Claudia Zingerli, ETH Zurich
• Max Maurer, Eawag

Strategic Area Climate and Environmental Sustainability – from research to practice

Joint between:

• Claudia Zingerli, ETH Zurich
• Max Maurer, Eawag

Rumbling and tumbling: Mountain hazards, risks and early warning in a changing climate

Abstract

How is climate change impacting rockfall, rock avalanches and ice avalanches? After the dramatic collapse of the Kleines Nesthorn and the Birchgletscher, which buried the town of Blatten on the 28^th of May, 2025, this became one of the most frequently asked questions – by friends, family, journalists, and researchers alike. The tragic event highlighted – once again – the immediate importance of understanding the impact of climate change on mass movements in mountain regions. In this talk, I will summarize our current understanding of the complex interactions between climate and mountain hazards and highlight ongoing research investigating both these interactions and our capabilities for early warning and emergency preparedness.

About

Dr Mylène Jacquemart received a BSc and MSc from the Department of Geography at the University of Zurich and a PhD from the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, United States. She is currently a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology, and Glaciology at ETH Zurich and WSL in Sion, where she investigates the impact of climate change on glacier and alpine hazards and has previously worked in operational hazard management at Geopraevent AG.

The environmental impacts of stratospheric aerosol injection as a solar radiation management techniqued

Abstract

Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) has been suggested as a solar radiation modification (SRM) technique to counteract global warming by increasing Earth’s albedo, in analogy to large volcanic eruptions. SAI has raised concerns of damaging the ozone layer, heating the stratosphere and changing weather patterns. Within an international effort we investigate SAI options based on solid particles with promising optical properties. These activities range from experiments on molecular level surface chemistry to particle optical properties and to large scale modelling to provide improved constraints on the environmental impacts of SAI. This contributes to the scientific basis needed to inform the societal debate and the political decision about SRM.

About

Markus Ammann has obtained his PhD from ETH in 1992 in the field of aerosol chemistry. Since 1997 he has been group leader at Paul Scherrer Institute, and since 2014 he has been an adjunct professor in atmospheric chemistry at ETH in the Department of Environmental Systems Science. His research focuses on kinetics and mechanisms of multiphase chemistry in the atmosphere, using a range of experimental physico-chemical and spectroscopic tools.

Climate Solutions Hub – Make green technologies scale faster

Joint between:

• Dr Peter Richner, Empa, Co-Lead Climate Solutions Hub
• Dr Christian Binz, Eawag, Co-Lead Climate Solutions Hub

Abstract

The Climate Solution Hub’s vision is to accelerate the diffusion and mainstreaming of transformative climate solutions. This new competence center jointly established by Empa and Eawag aims at assessing how potentially transformative green technologies developed in the ETH Domain can be more strategically scaled up. The CSH tackles this question by combining competencies from three pillars: Technology development; demonstrators and living labs; and social sciences. The Hub combines scholars from these three competence fields from across the ETH Domain with relevant stakeholders and makes them jointly develop ‘scaling templates’ for sustainability solutions. By combining these competencies in integrated projects and working in Living Lab setting, the solution’s technology, policy and market readiness levels can be strategically increased. Initially, the CSH is focusing on climate positive infrastructures like NetZero concrete, decentralized water reuse, or multifunctional blue-green infrastructues. This focus shall be extended in a next development phase of the Hub in close interaction with other ETH Domain institutes.

About

Dr Peter Richner studied chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and subsequently received his doctorate. After a postdoctoral period in the USA, he established a new research group at Empa in the field of ultratrace analysis, later headed the Corrosion and Surface Protection Laboratory and has been Head of the Engineering Sciences Department since 2002 and Deputy Director until 2025. He headed the Swiss Competence Center in Energy Research "Future Energy Efficient Buildings & Districts" and is the initiator of the NEST project. His research interests focus on energy-efficient construction and the promotion of technology transfer.

Climate Solutions Hub – Make green technologies scale faster

Joint between:

• Dr Peter Richner, Empa, Co-Lead Climate Solutions Hub
• Dr Christian Binz, Eawag, Co-Lead Climate Solutions Hub

Abstract

The Climate Solution Hub’s vision is to accelerate the diffusion and mainstreaming of transformative climate solutions. This new competence center jointly established by Empa and Eawag aims at assessing how potentially transformative green technologies developed in the ETH Domain can be more strategically scaled up. The CSH tackles this question by combining competencies from three pillars: Technology development; demonstrators and living labs; and social sciences. The Hub combines scholars from these three competence fields from across the ETH Domain with relevant stakeholders and makes them jointly develop ‘scaling templates’ for sustainability solutions. By combining these competencies in integrated projects and working in Living Lab setting, the solution’s technology, policy and market readiness levels can be strategically increased. Initially, the CSH is focusing on climate positive infrastructures like NetZero concrete, decentralized water reuse, or multifunctional blue-green infrastructues. This focus shall be extended in a next development phase of the Hub in close interaction with other ETH Domain institutes.

About

Dr Christian Binz is a research group leader at the Department of Environmental Social Sciences at Eawag, an Associate Researcher at CIRCLE, Lund University, Sweden, and a guest lecturer at the University of Zurich. He received his PhD in Geography from the University of Bern in 2012 and has worked as a PostDoc at Harvard University (US), Lund University (Sweden), UC Berkeley (USA), and Tsinghua University (China). His research explores how transformative innovation develops and diffuses in the water, energy, transport and construction sectors. He has extensive experience in working in interdisciplinary research projects and has covered green innovation processes in both developed (EU, US, Switzerland) and emerging (China, India) economies.

Science anticipation as a key engine for effective multilateralism and science diplomacy

Abstract

We are living in an era of exponential scientific change, with breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and quantum computing accelerating faster than our governance structures can adapt.

The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) Foundation is a private Swiss foundation based in Geneva with global reach, where science meets diplomacy and ideas become action. From launching the Open Quantum Institute to training the next generation of leaders, GESDA’s mission is to anticipate emerging scientific discoveries at a time horizon of 5, 10, 25 years and translate them into concrete actions for the benefit of society. GESDA thereby contributes to strengthening multilateral collaboration and to reinforcing Switzerland’s role as a hub for diplomacy and innovation.

About

Trained as a physicist, Marilyne Andersen is Director General of the GESDA Foundation and Full Professor at EPFL. She has been conducting pioneering work at the interface between science and engineering, design, society and culture, and actively engaged in bridging the gap between art and science. Dean of the ENAC School at EPFL from 2013 and 2018, she has also been a Professor at MIT and a Visiting Professor at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab as well as at SUTD in Singapore.