GENEVA: The Swiss, feeling the impact of global warming on their rapidly melting glaciers, were voting on Sunday on a new climate bill aimed at steering the country towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
Supporters say the proposed"Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security" is needed to ensure energy security. But the government balked at the so-called Glacier Initiative, drawing up a counter-proposal that scrapped the idea of a ban but included other elements.
The SVP says the bill's goal of achieving climate neutrality in just over a quarter-century would effectively mean a fossil fuel ban, which it claims would threaten energy access and send household electricity bills soaring. There is a growing push for Switzerland to reduce its reliance on foreign energy sources since Russia's invasion of Ukraine threw into doubt Swiss access to much of the foreign energy it uses.