Travelling to Paris by plane, car or train? On behalf of TGV Lyria, INFRAS has calculated the environmental and accident costs as well as the carbon footprint of various modes of transport on five long-distance routes between Switzerland and France for the year 2023. 

In the course of decarbonization, the focus is also shifting to snowplows and the like. Some cantons are considering switching to fossil-free winter maintenance vehicles. INFRAS has developed the conceptual framework for the electrification of a cantonal winter service fleet. 

INFRAS Executive Board member Juerg Fuessler resigns from the ICVCM expert committee. This is in response to the ICVCM Board's decision to approve three REDD methods for CCP eligibility. He explains this step here.

In November 2024, the Governing Board of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approved three methodologies for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). The methodologies are now eligible for issuing “high integrity” carbon credits under the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) label of the ICVCM. We are concerned with this decision. While the methodologies have been improved compared to previous versions, in our assessment they do not meet the requirements of the ICVCM Assessment Framework. Here we explain why. 

Air pollution, accidents, noise and climate change: transport has many costs that are not borne by the transport users themselves. On behalf of the federal government, INFRAS and Ecoplan have updated the methodology for calculating external effects and recalculated the figures for 2021. A new damage cost approach was adopted for calculating climate costs.

Progress has been made, but there is still a lot to be done when it comes to environmental sustainability at the 15 largest retail banks in Switzerland. These are the findings of the WWF Retail Bank Rating 2024, which INFRAS conducted for and together with the WWF. An important focus of the rating is the assessment of the impact of the banks' activities on the environment. 

Regions in focus: Cross-border cooperation does not only have to take place  at the national or European level. Border regions can also move forward together – including in the energy sector. INFRAS has conducted a study on the advantages, hurdles, and possibilities for regional cooperation in the energy transition.

What risks do climate change and the energy transition pose for the Swiss energy supply? And what measures contribute to resilience? Together with four universities and two partner companies from the private sector, INFRAS is addressing these questions in the RECIPE consortium.

How much space do cars, public transport vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians require? This is an increasingly important question in planning and politics, especially in built-up city areas. Working together with Lajo AG, INFRAS has developed a new methodology for estimating the land consumption of different modes of passenger transportation.