Referendum: It's all about energy policy

The broad-based Business Committee against the CO2 Act, consisting of representatives of the automotive, transport, aviation, building and mineral oil industries, wants to make this possible. For this reason, it has launched a referendum against the new CO2 law.

Heating with oil and gas will be banned
The new CO2 law will effectively prohibit the installation of new oil and gas heating systems. Instead, renewable heating systems such as heat pumps will be mandatory in the future, regardless of whether they make technical or ecological sense.

High costs for population and business
The new CO2 law increases the price of gasoline and diesel by 12 centimes per liter. The tax on heating oil and gas will be more than doubled. And a new tax of a maximum of 120 francs will be introduced on airline tickets.

These measures place a massive burden on the population and the business sector: for a family of four, this can quickly result in additional costs of over 1000 francs per year.

No noticeable impact on the climate
Switzerland is responsible for just one thousandth of global CO2 emissions. Even if we were to reduce our CO2 emissions to zero overnight, this would have no impact on the global climate. The CO2 law is useless.

Switzerland is on the road today in an exemplary manner
The Swiss population has reduced its CO2 emissions per capita by around 20 percent over the last ten years. A continuation of this development will result in less than half the 1990 emissions by 2030. The figures prove it: Our country is on the right track in terms of climate policy. A CO2 law full of bans and new taxes is unnecessary.

Administration can distribute money indiscriminately
Parliament has completely overloaded the CO2 law. Some articles are written in such a complicated way that even experts hardly understand them.

The new taxes on gasoline, diesel, heating oil and airline tickets are to flow into a "climate fund" from which the administration can then distribute money indiscriminately. In return, the expansion and maintenance of roads is to be neglected.

Unfair application of the CO2 law
Not everyone is affected equally by the measures of the CO2 law: Families, car commuters and the rural and mountain population will suffer more from the new levies than public transport users or the urban population.

Industrial and commercial enterprises with high energy consumption, such as bakeries, are asked to pay more than banks or advertising agencies. That is unfair.

Reason instead of heated climate debate
For the above reasons, the Economic Committee rejects the new CO2 law.

The justification goes on to say, "It is imperative to remain reasonable and keep a cool head in the heated climate debate that has had our country in its grip for almost two years."

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