Most of Switzerland-s greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the importation of goods and services. So far, these -gray emissionshave received little attention in climate law and policy. The 2nd Bern Climate Law Conference will shed light on this long-overlooked issue and explore how politics and law can address it. The conference will take place on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the University of Bern.
At first glance, Switzerland appears to perform relatively well on climate policy: Since 1990, its domestic greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by a quarter, contrary to the global trend. However, if the gray emissions are included in the climate calculation, the picture becomes gloomy. The term "gray emissions" refers to greenhouse gas emissions generated through the production and use of imported goods and services, as well as their disposal and depreciation. This includes not only imported food and textiles, but also digital media and streaming. Mobility and infrastructure are among the main contributors.
"As a financially strong but resource-poor country, Switzerland imports a comparatively large number of goods and therefore emissions," says Thomas Frölicher, Professor of Climate and Environmental Physics at the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) at the University of Bern. At an estimated 75 million tons of CO2 equivalents per year, gray emissions are nearly twice as high as domestic emissions (currently around 41 million tons). Hardly any other country in the world has such a high proportion of gray emissions in its total carbon footprint.
Inadequate regulation
Despite their significance, gray emissions receive little attention in public debates on climate policy. According to Charlotte Blattner, Professor at the Centre de droit public at the University of Lausanne and Associate Researcher at OCCR, the reason for this also lies in the legal framework: "Climate law mainly focuses on domestic emissions. Gray emissions, by contrast, remain in a legal gray zone where responsibility is still poorly defined."
The 2nd Bern Climate Law Conference will be devoted entirely to the issue of gray emissions. Co-organized by Charlotte Blattner, with contributions from Thomas Frölicher and other leading experts, the conference will bring together researchers as well as representatives from administration, business, and NGOs. The aim is to examine gray emissions from multiple perspectives and to explore the legal and political options for effective action.
Media professionals are cordially invited to the event:
Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 9.15 am to 5 pm
Location: University of Bern, "Kuppelraum" in the main building, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern
Admission: Free for media professionals. We will be happy to accept your registration until Monday, October 27, 2025, at klimarecht.oefre.rw@unibe.ch.
Experts giving talks:
- Charlotte Blattner, Centre de droit public, Université de Lausanne and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
- Dr. Reto Burkard, Vice-Director of the Federal Office for the Environment, Head of the Climate Action Directorate
- Michèle Egger, Sustainability Consultant
- Ilaria Espa, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, and World Trade Institute (WTI), University of Bern
- Thomas Frölicher, Institute of Physics and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
- Georg Klingler, environmental scientist and ethicist, Greenpeace
- Christina Meier, Head of Sustainability SBB
- Dr. Axel Michaelowa, Head of Research "International Climate Policy", University of Zurich
- Sebastian Oberthür, Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and University of Eastern Finland
- Anthony Patt, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Climate Policy Lab, ETH Zurich
- Lukas Rühli, Senior Fellow at Avenir Suisse
- Katrin Schneeberger, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment
- Dr. Yona Silvy, Physics Institute and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
