View of the Aletsch Glacier in canton Valais.
Keystone / Anthony Anex
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland have turned down a proposal for the region to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
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An amendment to the Valais climate law, adopted last year by the Valais parliament, was rejected by 55.83% of local voters on Sunday; turnout was 42.08%.
The vast majority of municipalities (109 out of 122) rejected the law, with, as expected, strong opposition in the German-speaking Upper Valais area. The towns of Sion, Sierre and Martigny in the French-speaking part, supported the target.
Critics of the proposal had argued that the revised law was “useless” and “unrealistic”, particularly as it aimed to achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2040, i.e. 10 years earlier than the Swiss federal authorities. Opponents also denounced the costs that the text would have generated for the population and the Valais economy.
All local political parties supported the law, with the exception of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, and the Centre Party of the Upper Valais region.
Translated from French by DeepL/sb
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