Voters overwhelmingly rejected an ambitious proposal by the Young Greens on Sunday aimed at aligning the nation's economy with “planetary boundaries.”
The final result was even more resounding than pre-vote polls had suggested, with 69.8% opposing the “environmental responsibility initiative.” None of the country's 26 cantons supported the measure. Voter turnout stood at approximately 38%, falling below the usual 45% average.
Lukas Golder from gfs.bern told Swiss public television SRF on Sunday that support for the proposal likely came from left-wing and ecological circles. However, other voter groups showed little interest in such a “drastic” measure, even though climate and environmental concerns remain significant for many, Swiss Info reports.
The initiative, spearheaded by the youth wing of the Green Party, sought a constitutional amendment requiring the Swiss economy to operate within “planetary boundaries” — a scientific framework defining thresholds beyond which nature cannot regenerate itself.
To meet these goals, significant reductions in CO2 emissions, biodiversity loss, and water usage would have been necessary. Greenpeace Switzerland estimated that the country would have needed to reduce its per capita carbon footprint by more than 90%.
Supporters of the proposal, including the left-wing Social Democrats and a coalition of NGOs, did not provide specific plans for how these changes would be implemented. However, they said that the process should be “socially acceptable” and completed within a 10-year period, with Parliament tasked with working out the details.
On Sunday, the Young Greens criticised the outcome, calling it a victory for “defenders of the status quo” who were overlooking scientific warnings about the severity of the ecological crisis. They accused the opposition campaign of using “scaremongering” tactics to shift the focus away from environmental protection and onto economic concerns, as stated in their press release.
Other supporters took a more measured approach. Social Democrat Linda De Ventura told SRF that the result was predictable, as initiatives from youth parties typically face challenges at the polls. However, the result was “not a statement against climate protection,” previous referendums supporting new climate and energy laws show that Swiss citizens are eager to make progress, but not through the approach proposed in this instance.
In regard to the opposition, Maxime Moix, vice-president of the youth section of the Centre Party, shared a similar view. He acknowledged that voters care about the environment but said that they want to protect it “pragmatically” — in a way that doesn't significantly impact their quality of life or impose an “unrealistic” timeframe.
Some critics even warned that the scale of the proposed reforms would effectively transform Switzerland into a developing economy. “We would destroy Swiss prosperity and revert to an economic level similar to countries like Afghanistan, Haiti or Madagascar,” parliamentarian Nicolas Kolly from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party stated.