Although Switzerland can point to successes in its environmental policy, more needs to be done, especially when it comes to consumer behaviour and natural resources, according to a government report.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
Suíça “deve fazer mais pelo meio ambiente”, diz relatório
Switzerland currently operates as though it had three planets at its disposal. A change in consumption and production is therefore necessary to spare the environment and resources, the Federal Council wrote in “Switzerland and the Environment 2018External link”, published on Monday.
Three-quarters of Switzerland’s total environmental impact is generated abroad, where it has a negative effect on the climate, biodiversity and the availability of water, the report said. Nutrition has the most significant impact on the environment at home and abroad with a share of 28%, followed by housing (24%) and mobility (12%).
The authors said the biggest challenges were increasing soil consumption, over-fertilisation of ecosystems, climate change, increasing amounts of waste and the loss of biodiversity. They said these factors were not only stressful for health, they also resulted in high costs.
The Federal Council said this was why climate protection, the efficient use of resources and the preservation of biodiversity were at the centre of its environmental policy.
The report highlighted achievements of the Swiss environmental policy, which were thanks to technical measures and legal requirements. Most forests were healthy, it said, and there were fewer contaminated sites. In addition, Switzerland had succeeded in decoupling energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from economic growth.
Parliamentary debate
On Monday, the House of Representatives starts discussing the revision of the carbon dioxide reduction lawExternal link, which is the government’s main tool for reaching its greenhouse gas emissions goals. The law has been in force since 2011 and obliges all sectors, from traffic to industry, to take measures.
Issues to be debated include the distribution of emission reduction targets between Switzerland and abroad, the rise in fuel prices and the introduction of an environmental tax on flights.
Parties on the right fear such measures will hurt Switzerland’s economic competitivity, whereas those on the left say they don’t go far enough.
More
More
Most Swiss think about CO2-generating lifestyles
This content was published on
A majority of the Swiss population feels that climate change is alarming enough to start questioning personal lifestyles, finds a survey.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Next decade ‘will be decisive’ for climate crisis
This content was published on
Keeping the Earth’s temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees Celsius is “in principle possible”, says a Swiss scientist, but time's running out.
This content was published on
CO2 emissions from Switzerland’s four biggest power supply companies rose by more than a third in 2017, says a new report.
This content was published on
Will climate change indeed result in large-scale human migration, notably from poor to rich countries? Vally Koubi and Thomas Bernauer answer.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.