- The Environment Commission of the Council of States (Urek-S) accepted the indirect counter-proposal to the glacier initiative by a vote of 10 to 2.
- The National Council accepted this indirect counter-proposal in the summer session by 134 votes to 56 with four abstentions.
- However, the Urek-S does not want to adopt all the decisions contained therein, namely those on the program for replacing heating systems.
The chances are increasing that Switzerland will reach the net-zero target for 2050 more quickly by legal means than by taking a detour via the constitution. The indirect counter-proposal to the Glacier Initiative was well received by the Council of States’ Environment Commission.
The National Council accepted this indirect counter-proposal – specifically the law on climate protection targets – in the summer session. This was developed by his environmental commission. The law contains milestones and reduction targets for buildings, transport and industry.
The majority of the Environment Commission of the Council of States (Urek-S) is convinced that the indirect counter-proposal is a target-oriented approach for Swiss climate policy, the parliamentary services said. Selected measures for climate protection could thus be implemented quickly.
There is not unanimity everywhere
The National Council wants to provide financial support for homeowners and the economy on the way to the climate target. The Council of States Commission does not want to take over all the decisions. The majority wants to invest CHF 1 billion or CHF 100 million a year in the ten-year program to replace fossil fuel heating systems. She justified this with delivery bottlenecks. The program should also rely more on existing funding instruments, such as the building program.
A first minority of the Urek-S wants to follow the National Council and make 2 billion francs or 200 million francs a year available for replacing the heating system. A second minority would like to dispense with the heating replacement program altogether.
A minority of the Urek-S also rejected the program in favor of new technologies – it is to run for six years. The National Council intends to provide CHF 1.2 billion in six years. Furthermore, a minority of the Council of States Commission does not want the goal of climate-friendly financial flows to be included in the law.
Direct counter-proposal has no chance
The commission now wants to hear the cantons on the bill. The Council of States is expected to advise them in the autumn session. The Council of States did not want to discuss the glacier initiative itself and the direct counter-proposal that the Federal Council had worked out and would wait for the indirect counter-proposal.
Committee prefers legal route
The National Council has already recommended that the glacier initiative be rejected. It calls for a climate-neutral Switzerland from 2050. From then on, fossil combustibles and fuels such as oil, gas, petrol, diesel and coal should no longer be allowed to be placed on the market. There should only be exceptions if no other technical variant is available.
In principle, the initiative committee considers the indirect counter-proposal to be the better, because faster, way to reach the goal than the constitutional provisions.