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GENEVA: The Swiss, feeling the impact of global warming on their rapidly melting glaciers, voted on Sunday on a new climate bill aimed at steering the country towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
Recent polls indicate strong support for the proposed law, which would require Switzerland to reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas, and to expand the development and use of greener, home-grown alternatives.
But support has slipped in the latest poll by pollster gfs.bern, albeit still at 63 percent in his favour, amid a worrying campaign about electricity shortages and economic devastation led by the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP).
Polling stations opened in most places at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and are scheduled to close at noon.
But most ballots are usually cast in advance of the popular vote that takes place under Switzerland’s direct democracy, and preliminary results are expected by mid-afternoon.
Supporters say the “Proposed Federal Act on Climate Protection, Innovation and Energy Security Targets” is necessary to ensure energy security.
They say it will also help tackle the ravages of climate change, highlighted by the dramatic melting of glaciers in the Swiss Alps, which lost a third of their ice volume between 2001 and 2022.
Switzerland imports about three-quarters of its energy, with all the oil and natural gas consumed coming from abroad.
Climate activists initially wanted to press for a total ban of all oil and gas consumption in Switzerland by 2050.
But the government refused the so-called Glacier Initiativeand put forward a counter-proposal that canceled the idea of ​​​​banning, but included other elements.
The text promises CHF2 billion ($2.2 billion) in financial support over a decade to encourage the replacement of gas or oil heating systems with climate-friendly alternatives, as well as help drive companies toward green innovation.
Almost all of Switzerland’s main parties support the bill, with the exception of the SVP – the country’s largest party – which has launched a referendum against what it calls the “waste electricity law”.
The SVP says the bill’s goal of achieving climate neutrality in just over a quarter century would effectively mean banning fossil fuels, which he claims would threaten energy access and raise household electric bills.
Senior vice-president leader Marco Chiesa last month criticized the “utopian” vision behind the bill, arguing that it would raise energy costs by CHF400 billion while having no impact on the global climate.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in April that melting glaciers in the Alps will have an economic impact both in the short term — like natural disasters and loss of tourism revenue — and in the long term, because they supply the rivers. and hydroelectric power stations.
In 2021, the senior vice president successfully lobbied for a law that would have curbed greenhouse gas emissions.
But observers say it will be difficult for her to convince people of her message this time around.
There has been a growing push for Switzerland to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, raising doubts about Switzerland’s access to much of the foreign energy it uses.
Also on the polls on Sunday there will be a referendum on raising the tax rate for large corporations.
The government wants to amend the constitution so that Switzerland can join an international agreement, led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to introduce a global minimum tax of 15% for multinational companies.
The latest poll indicated that 73 percent of Swiss voters support the plan, which would impose the new rate on all Swiss-based companies with turnover of more than 750 million euros.
So far, many of Switzerland’s 26 cantons have imposed some of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world, in what they often say is necessary to attract businesses in the face of rising wages and location costs.
The Swiss government estimates that revenue from the supplementary tax will be between 1.0 and 2.5 billion Swiss francs in the first year alone.
Recent polls indicate strong support for the proposed law, which would require Switzerland to reduce its dependence on imported oil and gas, and to expand the development and use of greener, home-grown alternatives.
But support has slipped in the latest poll by pollster gfs.bern, albeit still at 63 percent in his favour, amid a worrying campaign about electricity shortages and economic devastation led by the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP).
Polling stations opened in most places at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and are scheduled to close at noon.
But most ballots are usually cast in advance of the popular vote that takes place under Switzerland’s direct democracy, and preliminary results are expected by mid-afternoon.
Supporters say the “Proposed Federal Act on Climate Protection, Innovation and Energy Security Targets” is necessary to ensure energy security.
They say it will also help tackle the ravages of climate change, highlighted by the dramatic melting of glaciers in the Swiss Alps, which lost a third of their ice volume between 2001 and 2022.
Switzerland imports about three-quarters of its energy, with all the oil and natural gas consumed coming from abroad.
Climate activists initially wanted to press for a total ban of all oil and gas consumption in Switzerland by 2050.
But the government refused the so-called Glacier Initiativeand put forward a counter-proposal that canceled the idea of ​​​​banning, but included other elements.
The text promises CHF2 billion ($2.2 billion) in financial support over a decade to encourage the replacement of gas or oil heating systems with climate-friendly alternatives, as well as help drive companies toward green innovation.
Almost all of Switzerland’s main parties support the bill, with the exception of the SVP – the country’s largest party – which has launched a referendum against what it calls the “waste electricity law”.
The SVP says the bill’s goal of achieving climate neutrality in just over a quarter century would effectively mean banning fossil fuels, which he claims would threaten energy access and raise household electric bills.
Senior vice-president leader Marco Chiesa last month criticized the “utopian” vision behind the bill, arguing that it would raise energy costs by CHF400 billion while having no impact on the global climate.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in April that melting glaciers in the Alps will have an economic impact both in the short term — like natural disasters and loss of tourism revenue — and in the long term, because they supply the rivers. and hydroelectric power stations.
In 2021, the senior vice president successfully lobbied for a law that would have curbed greenhouse gas emissions.
But observers say it will be difficult for her to convince people of her message this time around.
There has been a growing push for Switzerland to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, raising doubts about Switzerland’s access to much of the foreign energy it uses.
Also on the polls on Sunday there will be a referendum on raising the tax rate for large corporations.
The government wants to amend the constitution so that Switzerland can join an international agreement, led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to introduce a global minimum tax of 15% for multinational companies.
The latest poll indicated that 73 percent of Swiss voters support the plan, which would impose the new rate on all Swiss-based companies with turnover of more than 750 million euros.
So far, many of Switzerland’s 26 cantons have imposed some of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world, in what they often say is necessary to attract businesses in the face of rising wages and location costs.
The Swiss government estimates that revenue from the supplementary tax will be between 1.0 and 2.5 billion Swiss francs in the first year alone.
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