Beyond Carbon
Debating the Future
Ringvorlesung Strategische Projekte UZH & Sustainability Hub UZH
How can the University of Zurich successfully transition to being climate neutral? What are negative emissions and green growth? Why can environmental protection sometimes feel like a religious practice? In the public, digital lecture series Beyond Carbon: Debating the Future, national and international experts engage in discussion on these and other questions. Panelists include Professor Katharina Michaelowa, Professor Michael Schaepman, Professor Ralph Ossa and Professor Michael Coors. Additional speakers from the realms of academia, politics and climate activism will contribute a broad range of perspectives and expertise.
Interested participants are explicitly invited to take part in the panel discussions. We look forward to engaging with you in dialogue on the challenges and fundamental questions of our time.
All events will take place exclusively online:
Participate via MS Teams
Please Note
Unlike the rest of the series, the lectures on 27 February and on 17 and 24 April will begin at 2:00pm.
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Program
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20.3.2026, 12:15: Think Negative – Carbon Dioxide Removal und Carbon Offset
Dr. Johanna Puetz (Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group) Sophie Wenger (Climate Policy Officer, Bundesamt für Umwelt (BAFU), Switzerland) Dr. Jan Wurzbacher (Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Climeworks) Moderatorin: Lisa Mangertseder (DVNE; Carbon Removal Partners); Ort: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36142756940886?p=d95Yn2pGqFh6ao6VV1
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27.3.2026, 12:15: Riding down the Learning Curve for Clean Technologies
Prof. Gregory Nemet (Professor, La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Salzwedel Distinguished Faculty Chair in Business and Regulation; Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor) Dr. Alessio Terzi (Assistant Professor, Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge; Director of the MPhil in Public Policy; Adjunct Professor in Economics, Sciences Po) Moderator: Florian Müller (PhD candidate, Energy and Technology Policy Group, ETH Zurich); Ort: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36142756940886?p=d95Yn2pGqFh6ao6VV1
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17.4.2026, 14:00: Field Experiments for Net Zero
Prof. Kenneth Gillingham (Grinstein Class of 1954 Professor of Environmental and Energy Economics, Yale University) und weitere N.N. Moderator: Gerhard Fehr (FehrAdvice & Partners AG); Ort: online via Teams
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24.4.2026, 14:00: The Power of Procurement
Prof. Dr. Gunther Glenk (Assistant Professor, Business School, University of Mannheim) Alexander Pfeiffer (Co-Founder and CEO, Terralytiq) Prof. Gernot Wagner (Climate Economist, Columbia Business School; Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, NYU) Moderatorin: Prof. Olga Chiappinelli (Assistant Professor, Universitat de Barcelona; formerly Research Associate (Post-Doc), DIW Berlin and Berlin School of Economics); Ort: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36142756940886?p=d95Yn2pGqFh6ao6VV1
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8.5.2026, 12:15: Green Finance
Prof. Debjani Bhattacharyya (UZH) Prof. Dr. Markus Leippold (UZH) Scott Ryan (Investature) Moderatorin: Prof. Nadine Strauß (Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication and Media Management (Tenure Track), Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich); Ort: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36142756940886?p=d95Yn2pGqFh6ao6VV1
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22.5.2026, 12:15: Saving our planet as if time matters!
Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Michael Schaepman (Rektor UZH) und weitere N. N.; Ort: online via Teams
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29.5.2026, 12:15: Greening Growth, Carbon Pricing, Carbon Dioxide Removal
Prof. Ottmar Edenhofer (Director and Chief Economist, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK); Director, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC); Professor, TU Berlin) Prof. J. Doyne Farmer (Director of Complexity Economics, Institute for New Economic Thinking; Baillie Gifford Professor of Complex Systems Science, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford; External Professor, Santa Fe Institute; Chief Scientist, Macrocosm) Moderation: N.N.; Ort: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36142756940886?p=d95Yn2pGqFh6ao6VV1