This article was first published on the CovCAN website.

Poster published by UDC. Text reads “Cars reserved for the rich? No to the left’s law on CO2”

On 13 June the Swiss people voted by a narrow majority to reject an Act proposed  by the Federal Government law aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by 2030 by investing in building refurbishment and charging stations for electric vehicles, investments that would have been paid for by imposing a car fuel levy and a tax on air tickets. [1]

A number of political parties, such as the right-wing UDC, campaigned vigorously against the Act publishing many posters such as the one shown here. [2]

After the referendum, a survey funded by the Federal Chancellery explored the reasons which led to this rejection of the Act. A report was published in the Geneva Tribune [3] which said that the strong mobilization against agricultural initiatives in rural regions contributed to the rejection of the CO2 law . The law also stumbled over financial arguments.

The survey showed that 46% of those who voted against the Act agreed with the argument for more decisive action on climate change, but  the majority of them trust neither environmental associations, nor science, nor climate research.

On the other hand, a clear majority of the “yes” camp felt that protection of the environment should be more important than economic standard of living, which is why these voters wished the Federal Government to act urgently.

Reporting the result on the BBC website [4], Imogen Foulkes wrote:

The no-vote to limiting emissions is a huge shock. ..The plan [was] to cut greenhouse gases to half their 1990 levels by 2030, using a combination of more renewables and taxes on fossil fuels. Voter rejection undermines Switzerland’s entire strategy to comply with the Paris Agreement. Today’s results are a devastating blow for environmentalists. Some analysts suggest the Swiss – who traditionally pride themselves on their green policies – are nervous about taking any economic risks while the country recovers from the pandemic.

References

[1] Federal Act on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (CO2 Act): https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/votes/20210613/co2-act.html

[2] Campaign by UDC against the Act: https://www.udc.ch/campagnes/apercu/loi-federale-du-25-septembre-2020-sur-la-reduction-des-emissions-de-gaz-a-effet-de-serre-loi-sur-le-co2/

[3] Report in Geneva Tribune: https://www.tdg.ch/la-forte-mobilisation-a-ete-fatale-a-la-loi-sur-le-co2-168674433537:

[4] BBC report on the vote: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57457384