BERLIN (AP) – A majority of Swiss citizens voted Sunday in favor of a bill aimed at introducing new climate measures to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the wealthy Alpine country.
Projections produced by the GFS Bern Institute on the basis of an almost complete count and published by the public broadcaster SRF showed that 58.3% of voters supported the bill. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points, SRF reported.
Exact results are expected later in the day.
The referendum was triggered by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists to save Switzerland’s famous glaciers, which are melting at an alarming rate.
Activists initially proposed more ambitious measures, but later backed a government plan that would require Switzerland to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050. It has also set aside more than CHF3 billion ($3.357 billion) to help businesses and homeowners wean themselves off fossil fuels.
The nationalist Swiss People’s Party, which demanded a popular vote, had claimed that the proposed measures would lead to higher electricity prices.
Supporters of the plan argued that Switzerland would be hit hard by global warming and is already seeing the effects of rising temperatures on its famous glaciers.
“Supporters have reason to rejoice,” Urs Berry of GFS Bern told SRF. “But no one is in favor of the law in any way. The debate over costs has brought many ‘no’ votes.”
Greenpeace Switzerland welcomed the first results of the referendum.
“This victory finally means that the goal of achieving net zero emissions will be enshrined in law. This provides better security for planning for the future and allows our country to take the path towards an exit from fossil fuels,” said Georg Klingler, a climate and energy expert with Greenpeace Switzerland.
The result of the vote shows that the citizens of our country are committed to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C in order to preserve as much as possible our glaciers, our water reserves, our agriculture and our prosperity. He added, “I feel very relieved that the lies spread by the other camp during the campaign did not sow seeds of doubt in people’s hearts.”
Swiss glaciers experienced record melting last year, losing more than 6% of their volume and alarming scientists who say a loss of 2% was once considered too serious.
Experts such as Matthias Haas, a glaciologist at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich, have made their mark Dramatic footage of receding glaciers And Rockslides from thawing permafrost on social media to highlight the changes taking place in the Alps.
He recently wrote on Twitter: “Let’s act while we can still prevent the worst.”
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