Glaciologist Matthias Huss sets a measuring pole in the ice before participating in an action of supporters of the ‘Yes Committee to the Climate Protection Law’ in Val Morteratsch, Switzerland, on May 20. The glacier ceremony ‘Good-bye Morteratsch Glacier’ at the foot of the Morteratsch Glacier was intended to send a signal to vote “yes” on the climate protection law, which passed with 59.1% on Monday. Photo by Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA-EFE
June 19 (UPI) — Voters in Switzerland have passed a new law to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 after glaciers in the Swiss Alps have lost a third of their ice volume in two decades.
The Climate Law, which will cut dependence on imported oil and gas and move the country to renewable sources, passed in a referendum Sunday with 59.1% of the vote.
Leading Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss, who has studied glacier retreat in the Alps, said he was “very happy the arguments of climate science were heard.”
“The Swiss population sends out a strong signal: The law for bringing the country to net zero emissions was accepted today!” Huss wrote in a tweet. “What started with the glacier initiative several years ago has now come to an end.”
A second referendum to introduce a global minimum tax of 15% for multinational corporations won overwhelmingly with more than 78% of the vote.
About 42% of Swiss citizens voted in the election with nearly all of the country’s major parties supporting the new Climate Law, except for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.
“The climate law… is something of a turning point in climate politics in Switzerland after two years of uncertainty,” said Lukas Golder, co-director of the pollster gfs.bern.
“Obviously a ‘no’ would have been a disaster, but even with a ‘yes,’ pro-climate activists have a very hard struggle ahead in Switzerland,” he said.
Switzerland, which is one of the world’s wealthiest countries, currently imports about three-quarters of its oil and natural gas.
Critics argue the law will push up energy prices and provides no information or guidance on where the green electricity will come from.
“By 2050, the country’s electricity consumption will rise from about 62 terawatt-hours to 90,” warned Christoph Brand, chief executive of Switzerland’s largest electricity producer Axpo. “The potential for additional hydro in Switzerland is essentially zero… and our solar and wind capacity are embarrassingly low.”
To meet energy targets, 80 square kilometers of solar panels will need to be built before 2050.
But Swiss energy utilities are skeptical, saying the country’s planning laws will prevent any progress. While most countries allow a central government to override local concerns, Switzerland allows an individual or group to block or delay projects.
“There is a tendency to move slowly in Switzerland — to say that everything has gone fine for the last 30 years so let’s just extrapolate for the next 30,” Brand added. “But in this case, it doesn’t work.”