I was looking for something that might explain what Swiss policy is towards the current increasing price of oil, Peak Oil or not.

I chanced across Energy Strategy for ETH Zurich: A Critical Review (which I have read) and therefore Energy Strategy for ETH Zurich (which I have not read - 42 pages, PDF, English).

The reviewer holds a position at ETH. He reviews the paper I linked to above, which review begins thus:

"40 professors of ETH Zurich, one of the most highly reputed and visible technical universities on this planet, belong to the Energy Science Center, a collaborative effort created in order to study the challenges that lie ahead in terms of resource depletion and the effects exerted by our presence on the global dynamics of our planet. Currently, the potential ramifications of peak oil and global warming are the Center's main focus.

A year and a half ago, six of the professors decided to define a new Energy Strategy for ETH Zurich, to determine how ETH, through research and educational activities, could contribute to finding solutions to these rapidly emerging and ever more pressing issues."

In my opinion, the first section ("Fossil Fuel Depletion: How Fast Will It Happen?") of the review is the strongest. It appears that a large chunk of "Energy Scientists" are working with incorrect assumptions and data.

Do these people have any clout outside the world of academia? Do they influence energy policy? Ein Bisschen worrying if they have and if they do.