The vote this weekend delivered a clear “no”. The Environmental Responsibility Initiative set highly ambitious limits to emissions and the consumption of natural resources, defined as planetary boundaries, to be reached within 10 years.
Polls ahead of the vote made it clear that a majority of those polled considered the economic costs of meeting such targets within a 10 year time frame would be too great. Many were concerned about the impact on jobs, prosperity and a loss of competitive advantage for Swiss companies.
On 9 February 2025, 69.84% of voters rejected the plan. No canton acheived a majority, however a small number of municipalities did, for example Vevey, Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Biel/Bienne.
The closest cantonal result was in Basel-City where only 54.66% were against it. The most resounding rejection was in the canton of Schwytz (84.59%). Results for Geneva (58.29%), Vaud (61.66%), Bern (68.73%) and Zurich (67.32%) were in between these extremes – results for all cantons can be viewed here.
The initiative was organised by the youth wing of the Green Party. Some of those interviewed from the party were happy enough with the result. A key aim, of what are often descibed as extreme initiatives, is to get political topics on the agenda.
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