Proposal to cut carbon dioxide emissions, accelerate renewables receives almost 60% votes
The people of Switzerland have voted in favour of a new climate law that aims to slash fossil fuel use and reach Net Zero by 2050. The results were announced June 18, 2023.
The legislation received the support of 59.1 per cent of voters in a referendum, while 40.9 per cent voted against it, according to public broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen.
The proposal would cut carbon dioxide emissions and accelerate the rollout of renewables, backed by funding of 2 billion Swiss francs (about Rs 18.31 crore). The draft sets milestones and aims to reduce dependence on imported oil and gas, but does not introduce any bans or new taxes.
Also read: COP27: Switzerland wants ‘major emitters’ and big developing economies to do more on mitigation
The nationalist Swiss People’s Party had objected to the government’s proposals, claiming the measures would cause energy bills to rise.
The right-wing party had called the referendum in hopes of derailing the draft laws on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, reported the European television news network Euronews.
The government and all major parties had called for a vote in favour of the bill, according to the news website Swissinfo. A campaign by scientists and environmental groups had argued the country’s melting glaciers would soon vanish completely if greenhouse gas emissions were not reduced.
The climate vote comes two years after the government’s centrepiece legislative proposal — the CO2 Law — was narrowly rejected in a nationwide ballot.
The June 18 results highlighted regional voting differences between French-speaking and most large German-speaking cantons, which supported the new law, and smaller German-speaking cantons in central and eastern Switzerland, where it was rejected.
Also read: Making cities climate-ready crucial to solving climate crisis: World Bank
Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of voters in Geneva canton backed the law, Swissinfo said.
The draft laws set out CO2 emissions milestones to ensure Switzerland meets its international climate commitments and seek a gradual reduction of imported fossil fuels in favour of Swiss-made renewables to improve energy security.
The law was drawn up as an indirect counterproposal to the so-called Glacier Initiative and incorporates the main objective of the initiative, namely, for Switzerland to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
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The proposed legislation would cut CO2 emissions and accelerate the rollout of renewables. Photo: iStock.png)
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