The issue of energy sustainability and its costs has already sparked public debate in Switzerland on several occasions. In 2021, the public rejected the CO2 Act, which aimed to introduce higher consumption taxes; in 2025, the Initiative For a Social Climate Policy Financed in a Tax-Fair Manner (Initiative for the Future) was rejected; this initiative proposed financing the climate transition through a high tax on inheritances worth over 50 million. Without adequate public consensus, reforms to finance the transition to a climate-neutral society may face implementation difficulties.
The cantonal government is now examining the new Cantonal Energy and Climate Plan (PECC), which aims to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions in Ticino by 2050 through a series of measures to improve energy efficiency and promote the adoption of new sustainable technologies. The total projected costs are difficult to quantify, but public expenditure on the energy sector is estimated to at least double. Private individuals will also be increasingly encouraged to invest in the transition; in this regard, the cantonal plan estimates a cost of over 4 billion by 2050.
It is within this context that the Project Transitions towards a zero-emission society (TiSDG) is situated, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through the BRIDGE Discovery programme and led by researchers from the Competence Centre for Management and Entrepreneurship (CMI) at SUPSI and the Institute of Management and Organisation (IMO) at USI. The aim is to assess the equity and sustainability of decarbonisation policies. In this context, the researchers have gathered the views of associations active in the social and economic sectors regarding the objectives and measures to combat climate change. It has emerged that decarbonisation is perceived primarily as a potential risk to the economy and the material well-being of citizens, rather than as an opportunity to promote nature conservation, sustainable lifestyles and greater self-sufficiency for the canton.
One of the key points of the project is precisely to define what is meant by fair decarbonisation for Ticino, with particular attention to the distribution of costs and participation in decision-making processes. For this reason, the researchers intend to involve the population directly, gathering opinions and expectations regarding the transition.
A survey will be launched in early June to gather the public’s views on decarbonisation policies and initiatives in Ticino. The questionnaire will address issues related to cost distribution and the conditions that Ticino residents are willing to accept to promote a net-zero emissions society by 2050. The survey will involve 4,000 residents selected at random, and the results will be used to assess the degree of fairness and acceptability of various alternative scenarios for achieving climate neutrality.
The results of the interviews with associations and the forthcoming public survey will be published next year. In the meantime, a page has been made available on the website https://tisdg.org/ featuring a selection of indicators illustrating the historical trends in the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the Canton of Ticino, in line with the international goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
Contacts
For further information on the project:
Lorenzo Di Lucia
Lecturer and researcher, SUPSI Competence Centre for Management and Entrepreneurship
lorenzo.dilucia@supsi.ch
+41 (0)58 666 77 66