A majority of Swiss voters have backed carbon-cutting measures to save the country’s famous glaciers in a referendum.
The plan requires Switzerland to achieve “net zero” by 2050 and sets aside more than three billion Swiss francs (£2.6 billion) to help wean companies and homeowners off fossil fuels.
The referendum was sparked by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists who warned Switzerland’s glaciers are melting away at an alarming rate.
Glaciers in the Alps lost a third of their ice volume between 2001 and 2022.
Some 59.1% of voters were in favour of the Bill, while 40.9% voted against.
Opponents including the nationalist Swiss People’s Party had claimed that the measures would cause electricity prices to rise.
But supporters argued that Switzerland would be hard-hit by global warming and that it was already seeing the effects of rising temperatures on its famous glaciers.
Greenpeace Switzerland were among those welcoming the result of the referendum.
“This victory means that at last the goal of achieving net-zero emissions will be anchored in law,” the group’s Georg Klingler said.
“That gives better security for planning ahead and allows our country to take the path towards an exit from fossil fuels.
“The result of the vote shows that the citizens of our country are committed to the aim of limiting global warming to 1.5C in order to preserve as much as possible our glaciers, our water reserves, our agriculture and our prosperity.”
Voters also backed plans to introduce a global minimum tax of 15% for multinational corporations in a second referendum, with 78.5% in favour.
