Land-Based Mitigation Technologies for Switzerland
As part of the LANDMARC deliverable “D2.1: National Narratives” the Switzerland team has been refining the technology focus of the case study.
Switzerland is one of the world’s most developed countries, and counts on large and highly developed farming infrastructure, especially in the livestock sector. Because of its mountainous profile, it is not possible to use much of its territory for economically productive activities, thus land competition is an important issue. Considering all these parameters, the selected LMTs are:
BECCS: BECCS is the LMT with the largest potential in Switzerland due to its intensive livestock farming activity and policy framework. An advantage is that 40% of the carbon sequestration potential could be achieved by applying CCS to biomass that is already used for energy.
Biochar: Biochar is being studied as a cheap solution for carbon sequestration, although it counts on scepticism due to unknown long-term effects and uncertainties in the remaining of carbon in the soils.
Reduced tillage: Altering agricultural practices such as reducing tillage could lead to higher soil organic carbon stocks.
Agroforestry: with a high competition for land, integrating trees in agricultural lands is a more feasible option than afforestation. The few innovative farmers who tried this technique report positive outcomes.
