Switzerland: Reduce CO₂ Emissions by 65%

By 2035, Switzerland will have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% from 1990 levels. The Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C, requires signatory nations to tighten their reduction targets every five years, take specific actions, and report on progress. Measures should be implemented on a priority basis throughout the country.

The new emission reduction targets are more stringent than those set for the previous period (2021-2030). In 2017, Switzerland has committed to cutting in half its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to the 1990 levels.

The 2031-2035 goals are consistent with the interim goals of the Climate Protection Act, the 2050 zero-emissions goal, and the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

At the same time, there is growing concern in Switzerland, as in many other industrialized countries around the world, about the ability of solar power plants and wind turbines to meet the energy needs of a country where four nuclear power plants (Beznau 1 and 2, Gösgen, and Leibstadt), which currently provide about one-third of the country’s electricity, are still operating.

In 2017, Switzerland decided to “abandon nuclear power” in a vote on its 2050 energy strategy. In 2025, the Swiss government announced in a memo its intention to resume the use of nuclear energy, lifting the “ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants” imposed by the 2017 vote: “It remains to be seen whether the expansion of renewable energy will occur so quickly that we can promptly make up for lost production capacity and meet the growing demand for electricity.”

In Switzerland, the debate over combating climate change is heating up: on February 9, Confederate voters will be called to the polls to vote for or against the so-called Environmental Responsibility Initiative. The results of a second public opinion poll released Wednesday, January 29, show “clear opposition to the only question on the February 9 federal ballot.” As the campaign progressed, the percentage of “against” votes increased, and the percentage of “for” votes decreased: at this point, 61% of Swiss citizens said they were “against” the initiative on the consumption of natural resources and harmful emissions.

The text of the controversial “initiative” requires that “economic activity in Switzerland can only consume resources and release harmful substances to the extent that the natural foundations of life are preserved.” If the initiative – contrary to expectations – were to be adopted, both the Swiss Confederation as a whole and the individual cantons would, within 10 years of adoption, “have to guarantee that the environmental impact of consumption would not exceed planetary limits in relation to the Swiss population.” The constraints under consideration relate to global warming, biodiversity loss, water consumption, land use, and nitrogen and phosphorus emissions.