Vote Climate fund initiative receives clear rebuff
A state climate fund for Switzerland is off the table. The initiative by the SP and the Greens was clearly rejected with around 71% of votes against.
08.03.2026, 19:31
SDA
Not a single canton said yes to the popular initiative "For a fair energy and climate policy: investing for prosperity, jobs and the environment (climate fund initiative)". Two municipalities in the canton of Fribourg were still counting after 7 pm.
The initiative was most clearly rejected by the canton of Schwyz with 84.5 percent. More than 80 percent of voters in Appenzell Innerrhoden and Obwalden also said no to the initiative. The least clear rejection at cantonal level was in the canton of Basel-Stadt. There, 55.4 percent said no.
However, nine municipalities also voted Yes, most clearly in the city of Bern. In the capital, the Yes vote was 59.4 percent. Of the remaining Yes municipalities, five are in the canton of Vaud, two in Jura and one in Fribourg.
Initiative wanted more money for climate protection
The initiative called for a state fund for climate protection measures. This should have been filled annually with 0.5 to 1.0 percent of economic output. In 2024, this would have amounted to four to eight billion Swiss francs.
Money from the fund would have been used to support projects to decarbonize transport, buildings and the economy. Projects for economical and efficient energy consumption, secure supply and the expansion of renewable energies should also have received money. It should also be possible to support education and training associated with climate projects.
Federal Council now wants to implement existing laws
With the rejection of a climate fund, the situation remains the same for the time being. "The voters have today confirmed Switzerland's existing energy and environmental policy," Environment Minister Albert Rösti said to the media about the result.
The federal government is already making around CHF 2 billion available each year for the restructuring of the energy system. The current policy is also effective, continued Rösti, pointing out that Switzerland's CO2 emissions have fallen since 1990. The federal government is making around two billion francs available each year for the restructuring of the energy system.
It is now clear to the Federal Council that it wants to further develop the "tried and tested and existing". Rösti referred to four laws that have been passed in recent months and years: the Climate and Innovation Act, the Act for a Secure Electricity Supply with Renewable Energies, the revised CO2 Act and amendments to the Environmental Protection Act. "These should now be implemented consistently," says Rösti.
No rejection of climate protection
Like the Federal Council, both supporters and opponents of the initiative stated after the vote that the clear "no" vote did not mean a rejection of climate protection.
However, whether or not the existing instruments are sufficient is a matter of debate. "Now the right must assume its responsibility and show us how it intends to achieve the goals, instead of constantly dragging its feet on climate issues," demanded Lisa Mazzone, President of the Greens, in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The SP and the Greens announced that they would continue to exert pressure on parliament and the Federal Council "so that Switzerland moves forward on climate protection", as they wrote in a press release. According to Mazzone, a concrete proposal is already on the table in the form of the solar initiative.
WWF Switzerland also called for consequences. In a press release, it called for the planned cuts to the buildings program, SwissEnergy and the promotion of pilot systems to be withdrawn. For its part, the Tenants' Association warned of negative consequences for tenants in the event of energy-efficient renovations. Vice President Michael Töngi called for new instruments for tenant-friendly renovations.
Rejection of the debt brake
The No Committee, on the other hand, sees the result as confirmation of Switzerland's climate policy approach to date. Switzerland is already pursuing a "very successful climate policy based on innovation, efficiency and economic compatibility", wrote the non-partisan "No to the climate debt fund" committee in a press release. "We must continue along this path."
The "No" committee described it as "pure coercion to repeatedly instrumentalize climate policy for a huge redistribution and subsidy policy."
For the business umbrella organization Economiesuisse, the No vote was a clear commitment to the debt brake. In order to combine climate protection and attractiveness as a business location, the economy primarily needs secure, clean and affordable electricity. To achieve this, Switzerland needs all emission-free technologies and stable relations with Europe. Specifically, the association called for the ban on nuclear energy to be lifted and for an electricity agreement with the EU to be concluded quickly.
