Justice for Everyday Consumers

Parallel session at the Sustainability Science Forum
26 November, Eventforum Bern

13:15 - 14:30

Language: English

Hosts: Philippe Thalmann, Juanjo Villarejo (E4S)

Greenhouse gas emissions vary significantly according to income levels in Switzerland: from around 8 tCO₂e per year for the lowest decile, to an average of 14 tCO₂e, over 50 tCO₂e for the top 1%, and more than 1,000 tCO₂e for the top 0.1%. A just transition requires both a rapid reduction of emissions among the highest-income groups and meaningful compensation—material or monetary—for those who emit less.

In this workshop, you will experience firsthand the most promising economic policy tool proposed for enabling a just transition: the steering levy (redevance incitative / Lenkungsabgabe). A comprehensive proposal is presented in the whitepaper on the Climate Incentive System, which also addresses issues of competitiveness, protection of Swiss interests, and political feasibility.

Workshop programme:

• Presentation on the redistributive effects of the steering levy, based on research by the LEURE laboratory.
• Interactive role-play simulation: take on the role of a consumer, wealthy individual, SME, or large enterprise and explore how a simple carbon levy can shift the market toward sustainability while placing justice at the heart of the transition.