In a national referendum, the majority of Swiss voters (59%) approved the Climate and Innovation Act, which commits Switzerland to achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The law encompasses a wide range of measures to facilitate the attainment of this goal, including setting interim targets for emissions reductions at the national and sectoral levels, promoting energy conservation initiatives, and providing incentives for transitioning industries, buildings, and homes away from fossil fuel-based power sources.
Additionally, the law mandates that all companies achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It outlines several objectives, such as reducing GHG emissions, implementing technologies for capturing and storing CO2, adapting to climate change impacts, and aligning financial flows with low-carbon and climate-resilient development.
According to the Swiss climate law, by 2050, the federal government must ensure that Switzerland reaches net zero emissions by reducing GHGs as much as possible and compensating for any remaining emissions through “negative emission technologies” like carbon capture and storage (CCS) or Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACCS). The climate strategy of Switzerland estimates a requirement of approximately 7 million tons of CO2 capture and storage by 2050.
The law sets interim targets based on 2019 levels, including an average reduction of 64% in GHGs between 2031 and 2040, with a minimum reduction of 75% in 2040, and an average reduction of at least 89% between 2041 and 2050. After 2050, the law stipulates that the removal and storage of CO2 should exceed the remaining GHG emissions.
Furthermore, the law establishes targets for carbon-intensive sectors. It mandates emissions reductions of 82% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 for the building sector, 57% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 in the transport sector, and 50% by 2040 and 90% by 2050 for the industry.
The approval of this law comes after the Swiss CO2 Act was narrowly defeated in 2021 (51.6% to 48.4%). The CO2 Act aimed to reduce emissions by 2030 through incentives for climate-friendly activities and costs imposed on carbon-intensive activities like frequent flying. The newly approved law primarily focuses on providing incentives for carbon reductions and allocates CHF 3.2 billion (USD$3.6 billion) in funding. This includes CHF 1.2 billion over six years for developing new technologies and processes to expedite industrial decarbonization and CHF 2 billion over ten years to support the replacement of fossil fuel-based heating in buildings.
The climate law was proposed as an alternative to the Glacier Initiative, a set of measures put forward in 2019 by the Swiss Association for Climate Protection, which advocated for a complete elimination of fossil fuel usage in Switzerland by 2050. While the new law aims to reduce fossil fuel consumption, it does not impose an outright ban by 2050.
Following the passage of the law, Switzerland’s largest political party, SVP, which had campaigned against the law, expressed concerns about the country facing an “energy crisis” due to a lack of a solid plan to scale up renewable alternatives to compensate for the required reductions in fossil fuels. They called for an immediate increase in the use of nuclear power as a substitute.