They had to decide whether to support the Green party-driven “climate justice initiative”, which set the net zero goal for 2030, or a counterproposal from the cantonal parliament, which aimed for 2037. In the end, just over 64% of voters came out in favour of the counterproposal, results on Sunday showed.
By accepting the counterproposal, the canton of Basel City is taking on a clear pioneering role in climate policy throughout Switzerland, writes Keystone-SDA.
It is the first canton or Swiss city to set the net zero goal for 2037. The city of Zurich has for example opted for 2040.
On a national level, Switzerland is aiming to be climate neutral by 2050 – which means the country should not emit more greenhouse gases than can be absorbed naturally or by technical means by that date.
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