CO2 law: Now you have the last word
EVERY VOICE COUNTS The new CO2 law costs a lot and achieves nothing. It leads to more bureaucracy, more prohibitions, more regulations, taxes and duties. Yet Switzerland is doing well in terms of climate policy even without this law. A business committee with representatives from the automotive, transport, aviation, building and petroleum industries has launched a referendum against the new CO2 law. Urs Wernli, [...]
A business committee with representatives from the automotive, transport, aviation, building and petroleum industries has launched a referendum against the new CO2 law.
Urs Wernli, President of Auto Gewerbe Verband Schweiz: "The CO2 law interferes so strongly with Swiss energy policy that it is essential to give the electorate the final say."
Significant increase in the price of gasoline and diesel
The new CO2 law will make it illegal to install oil and gas heating systems. It makes gasoline and diesel more expensive by twelve centimes per liter, and the tax on heating oil and gas is more than doubled.
A new tax of a maximum of 120 francs will be introduced on airline tickets. This is a massive burden on the population and trade.
Pollutant reduction of around 20 percent
Switzerland is responsible for only one thousandth of global CO2 emissions. Even if we were to reduce CO2 emissions to zero overnight, this would have no noticeable impact on the climate.
The Swiss population has reduced its CO2 emissions by around 20 percent over the last ten years. A continuation of this development should result in less than half the 1990 emissions by 2030.
Less money for expansion and maintenance
The figures prove that we are on the right track in terms of climate policy. A CO2 law overloaded by parliament and full of bans and taxes is superfluous. Some articles are written in such a complicated way that even experts can hardly understand them.
The new taxes flow into a climate fund from which the administration can then distribute money indiscriminately. In return, the expansion and maintenance of roads are to be neglected.
Not everyone is affected equally by the measures of the CO2 law. Families, car commuters, and the rural population will suffer more from the new levies than public transport users.
City dwellers. Industrial and commercial enterprises with high energy consumption are asked to pay more than banks or advertising agencies.
Research and development as key
The path to climate neutrality leads through research, innovation and sustainable incentive systems, not through bans, regulations and taxes. What is needed are sustainable measures, not haphazard symbolic policies.
For these reasons, the committee rejects the new CO2 law. It is imperative to remain reasonable and keep a cool head in the heated climate debate.
The collection of signatures for the referendum has been running since October. You can find all further information online.
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