Scenarios for the Transition to a Second Solar Society: Case Study of a Swiss Lowland Region

Abstract

Carbon management faces two different but related problems: the depletion of specific carbon sources in the earth’s crust (coal, oil and gas) and the accumulation of CO2 and CH4 in the atmosphere, which contributes to global climate change. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 commits all industrialized countriesto maintaining their greenhouse gas emissions under designated levels between 2008-2012. Measures on the resource side, such as taxes on fossil fuels, have not yet been implemented, although many European countries are finding that such approaches are becoming increasingly popularity. The discussion in this chapter regarding carbon management addresses three issues:
1.
The suggested measures are oriented towards the targets of the Kyoto Protocol. They lack a long-term perspective.
2.
The suggested measures often come from single interest parties (primarily agriculture and forestry) with a legitimate interest in additional subsidies. They are not well integrated into national or regional goals of urban or regional planning.
3.
The suggested measuresare not based in a systems approach. Phenomena such as feedback or time lag are not considered. The coordination of different measures is therefore very limited.