A national strategy towards a sustainable and climate-friendly energy system can be strongly related to social, economic, and policy aspects on the international level, especially if large imports of energy or energy carriers are part of such a strategy as it possibly is for Switzerland. The political support of conventional biofuels has illustrated that national legislation (e.g., in the USA or the EU) has global socio-economic as well as environmental implications and led to legal disputes. Several political institutions have launched strategies to foster the use of sustainable fuels and platform chemicals (SFPC). While most of SFPC are expected to be imported to Switzerland, implications on international markets, social impacts in exporting countries, and indirect environmental effects depend on the technology pathway and are unknown. Consequently, suitable policy instruments and implementation strategies must be developed with caution, carefully considering these interdependencies. Therefore, in WP2 of reFuel.ch, the following objectives are pursued, to contribute to the assessment of robust pathways considering the international policy instruments:
Further, the research contributes to the development of an interdisciplinary understanding of robust pathways by assessing the socio-economic implications and related but indirect impacts on land use and food security on potential exporting countries such as the Iberian Peninsula and Oman as well as on international markets.
Detailed objectives of the project are:
- Assessment of the international law and policy landscape relevant to SFPC
- SFPC-relevant country risk analysis
- International trade in SFPC
- Identify impacts on selected exporting countries
- Impact on international agricultural markets
- Data harmonization and synthesis