Sustainability Science Forum 2025: Conference report

‘We are still talking the talk and not yet walking the walk’ – with these words, Sebastian Wörwag opened the Sustainability Science Forum 2025. The rector of the Bern University of Applied Sciences sees it as the task of educational institutions to actively contribute to a just transition. The Bern University of Applied Sciences hosted the conference, which was organised by a broad range of convening institutions. On 26 November, Wörwag and SCNAT Secretary General Jürg Pfister welcomed over 250 participants from science and practice to the Eventforum in Bern. The programme included presentations, interactive workshops and discussions on various aspects of justice in the transformation to a climate-neutral society.

Advancing climate policy while taking social inequalities into account

From a scientific perspective, the situation is clear: to achieve net zero, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offset unavoidable emissions through negative emissions. To do this, Switzerland needs a more ambitious climate policy. Karin Ingold outlined the conditions under which this can be achieved in her keynote speech. The professor at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Bern explained that effective climate policy is challenging in democracies because opponents can easily mobilise via social media or other channels and fight against it. On the other hand, participation can facilitate the implementation of measures. If we are allowed to participate in decision-making, we are more willing to support the decision. According to Karin Ingold, government intervention must therefore be combined with innovative forms of democratic decision-making. Examples of this include citizens' councils or ‘temperature checks’ – to gather the opinion of the population before developing a policy measure and to incorporate that opinion into the process.

The second keynote speech also addressed issues of participation. Aurore Fransolet, Senior Scientist in ecological economics at the Université libre de Bruxelles, highlighted socio-ecological inequalities in relation to net-zero transformations. She pointed out that economically privileged groups not only cause more ecological damage, but also have a greater influence on climate policy than poorer sections of the population. The latter tend to suffer more from environmental pollution and are more negatively affected by environmental regulations such as taxes. According to Fransolet, these inequalities need to be better understood and integrated into environmental policy – in the form of regulations on privileges, protection from pollution and universal access to environmentally friendly alternatives.

Focusing on sectors and solutions

In order to highlight concrete solutions for a just transition, the focus was on three sectors: food, housing and mobility. Janina Grabs, Professor of Sustainability Research at the University of Basel, presented solidarity-based models in the coffee trade. A just transition would then mean that companies do not pass on the consequences of climate change to the weakest in the global value chain, but instead share the losses incurred by farmers and support them in diversifying their income. Using the example of the eco21 programme, Nicolas Velebit from Services Industriels de Genève showed how property management companies can support tenants during energy-efficient renovations – from the planning stages to settling in after the renovation. Such support increases the acceptance of renovations and reduces energy consumption. Stéphanie Penher, Managing Director of the Swiss Transport Club (VCS), is committed to affordable, climate-friendly mobility. She advocates for the expansion of pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as fare adjustments in public transport during off-peak hours and discounts for low-income individuals. In this way, a climate-friendly transport system can also increase social justice.

Participants were able to explore further solutions and aspects of a just transition in six parallel sessions. The topics ranged from social innovations and everyday consumption to CO₂ storage and sufficiency. In the workshop ‘Justice for Everyday Consumers’ for example, participants simulated in a card role-playing game how an expanded CO₂ levy could affect the consumption behaviour and CO₂ emissions of different population groups.

From the perspective of the judiciary, businesses and the labour market

In the second half of the conference, Raphaël Mahaim illustrated how the judiciary can play an important role in climate policy. The lawyer and National Councillor had represented the Climate Seniors in their lawsuit against the Swiss authorities for failing to take adequate climate protection measures. After their lawsuit was dismissed both in the first instance and by the Federal Supreme Court, the Climate Seniors were successful before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Although Swiss politicians have not yet implemented the ruling, the case has attracted a lot of international attention and demonstrated the potential of the judicial power of state.

There is also a lot of potential among businesses, says Barbara Dubach, managing director of engageability. The transition to net zero requires major investment and is an opportunity for start-ups to develop new nature-positive innovations, for example in the areas of circular economy or regenerative food systems. Many innovative solutions already exist – their implementation requires a combination of the right incentives, planning security and better cooperation between politics, administration and business.

However, in the context of a just transition, the negative effects on the labour market cannot be ignored. This was emphasised by Michaël Aklin, Professor of Economics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Jobs that depend directly or indirectly on fossil fuels will be lost on the path to net zero. The newly created green jobs will not automatically go to those who have lost their jobs. According to Aklin, accompanying measures such as retraining and investment in particularly affected regions are therefore central to a just transition. Not every region needs to produce green technologies. Needed is the targeted promotion of those sectors that have potential in the respective regions.

Hopeful into the future

The Sustainability Science Forum 2025 showed that a just transition to net zero not only brings challenges, but also offers many opportunities. One question that needs further discussion is how these opportunities can be better highlighted and communicated. Writer Jonas Lüscher shared his concluding thoughts on a just and climate-neutral Switzerland: in order to find hope for the future, we as a society must turn to each other again.