2023-06-19 09:12:02
Updated Monday, June 19, 2023 – 09:12
59.1% voted in favor of the new law that will force the country to drastically reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas
Supporters of the bill on climate change throw confetti, in Bern, Switzerland.ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE | PA
The Swiss voted this Sunday in a referendum in favor of the objective of carbon neutrality in 2050, in a country that is accusing the impact of global warming in the melting of its glaciers.
According to the final results, a 59.1% of voters were in favor of the new law, than forcing the country to drastically reduce your dependency of the import of oil and gas.
The new norm also implies betting on the development of more ecological and self-produced alternatives.
In a second referendum, citizens also supported 78.5% of establishing a 15% tax on large multinational companiesaccording to the first exit polls.
The participation rate in both referendums was around 42%.
Recent polls had shown strong support for the carbon neutrality proposal, despite warnings from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (UDC) that such a law could harm the economy.
Defenders of the “Federal Law on Climate Protection Goals, Innovation and Strengthening of Energy Security” argued instead that the legislation was necessary to guarantee energy security.
They also argued that it would help address the impact of climate change, evidenced by the dramatic melting of glaciers in the Swiss Alpswhich have lost a third of their volume between 2001 and 2022.
Leading Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss, who monitors glacier decline, praised the “strong signal” sent by the result in a tweet and said he was “very pleased that climate science’s arguments have been heard.”
Alternatives to oil and gas
Switzerland imports about three quarters of its energy, including all of its oil and natural gas.
Concern over the country’s dependence on external energies increase after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At first, climate activists pushed for a complete ban on oil and gas consumption by 2050 in Switzerland.
But the government produced a counteroption that discarded that prohibition and included some elements of the original initiative.
Specifically, the text proposes financial support of 2 billion Swiss francs (USD 2.2 billion) over a decade to promote the replacement of gas or petroleum gas with climate-friendly alternatives, as well as helping companies move toward green innovations.
Almost all the major parties supported the project, with the exception of the UDC, the largest in the country.
Electoral poster, in Lausanne.FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP
UDC leader Marco Chiesa called the project “utopian” and warned that it would have “no impact” on the global climate and increase electricity prices.
The group, which two years ago managed to block a similar law that would have curbed greenhouse gas emissions, also noted that support for the new law was mixed.
In rural regions, seven of the 26 cantons voted against, in a context of concern about the arrival of wind power and the impact of reduced access to fossil fuels on mobility.
Meanwhile, support was especially strong in urban areas like Geneva, where nearly 75% of voters backed the law.
corporate taxes
The Swiss also voted on Sunday for an increase in the corporate tax.
The new legislation makes it possible to modify the constitution so that Switzerland is part of an international agreement headed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The pact seeks to introduce a minimum global tax of 15% to multinational corporations.
The idea is to impose the new tax on all companies based in Switzerland that have a turnover of more than 800 million dollars a year.
Until now, many of the 26 Swiss cantons have some of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world, which they considered necessary to attract companies given the high wages in the country.
The Swiss government will impose the new rate next year and calculates that it will generate between 1,000 and 2,500 million francs in the first year.
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