Why Switzerland’s carbon footprint is bigger than you think

Is Switzerland a model carbon-reducer or a top emitter? It depends on whether you consider products imported from abroad, which make up a huge part of the country’s carbon footprint. It’s all part of a complex international give-and-take. In Switzerland, emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases have fallen by almost 25% since 1990, bucking the trend on a global level. National climate policies and improved energy efficiency have had a positive effect. Has the Alpine country therefore succeeded in reducing its climate impact? Not exactly. Why we wrote this story On February 9, 2025, the Swiss people will vote on the popular initiative “For Environmental Responsibility”. The young section of the Swiss Green Party’s proposal calls for the economy to take planetary limits into account: economic activities cannot use more resources or emit more pollutants than the planet can bear, according to the initiative. The issues at stake in the popular vote and the arguments for and against ...