As Switzerland’s glaciers melt, Alpine nation backs climate bill with net zero target for 2050

Final results released by public broadcaster SRF showed that 59.1 per cent of voters were in favour of the bill

The referendum was sparked by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists to save Switzerland’s glaciers, which are melting away at an alarming rate

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Supporters of the climate change bill throw confetti in Bern, Switzerland on Sunday. Photo: Keystone via AP

Published: 1:27am, 19 Jun 2023

A majority of Swiss citizens on Sunday voted in favour of a bill aimed at introducing new climate measures to sharply curb the rich Alpine nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Final results released by public broadcaster SRF showed that 59.1 per cent of voters were in favour of the bill, while 40.9 per cent voted against.

The referendum was sparked by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists to save Switzerland’s glaciers, which are melting away at an alarming rate.

Chunks of ice float in a lake in front of the Rhone Glacier as people put covers over some of the glacier near Goms, Switzerland on Thursday. Photo: AP

Campaigners initially proposed even more ambitious measures but later backed a government plan that requires Switzerland to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050. It also sets aside more than 3 billion Swiss francs (US$3.357 billion) to help wean companies and homeowners off fossil fuels.

The nationalist Swiss People’s Party, which demanded the popular vote, had claimed that the proposed measures would cause electricity prices to rise.

Backers of the plan argued that Switzerland will be hard-hit by global warming and is already seeing the effects of rising temperatures on its famous glaciers.

“The supporters have reason to rejoice,” Urs Bieri of the GFS Bern Institute told SRF. “But by no means everyone is in favour of the law. The argument with the costs has brought many ‘no’ votes.”