Lucerne – At the 2nd Symposium of the Sustainability Network Central Switzerland, more than 100 participants exchanged views on opportunities and hurdles on the way to Switzerland’s climate goals. They discussed various aspects of climate change from the perspective of research, business and the federal government.
There was a broad consensus among the participants at the 2nd Symposium of the Sustainability Network Central Switzerland in Lucerne, reports ROI Online, the business portal of Central Switzerland: To combat climate change, a change in values and attitudes is needed in business and society.
In presentations, workshops, and a panel discussion, the organizers aimed to connect stakeholders from a wide range of social sectors with regard to the 2030 Agenda. For example, the federal government’s perspective was represented by the Federal Council’s delegate for the 2030 Agenda, Daniel Dubas. Among other things, he referred to the online agenda toolbox. It provides cantons and municipalities with examples of successful sustainability projects. Such a toolbox is also being developed for SMEs, he said.
Adrian Derungs, Director of the Central Switzerland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was among those who represented the business perspective. He, too, had invoked a change in values. In addition, Max Renggli, pioneer of sustainable construction and 2017 winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Family Business category, had added that there was a need for additional “courage on the part of each individual player, clear guidelines and criteria from the federal government, and at the same time a reduction in unnecessary bureaucracy.”
As co-author of the 2002 report “Climate Risk Management in Swiss and German Companies,” Nadine Berchtold of the Institute for Financial Services Zug at the University of Lucerne showed that large companies had more resources for dealing with climate change than SMEs. That’s why they tend to see more opportunities in it than smaller companies. mm
