Voting choice Environmental responsibility initiative is rejected at the ballot box
The majority of voters in Switzerland do not want to restrict the economy and consumption to such an extent that the planet's resources are not overstretched. The Greens' environmental responsibility initiative was clearly rejected.
09.02.2025, 16:12
09.02.2025, 21:05
SDA
According to the Federal Statistical Office and the cantons, 1,472,843 voters cast a No vote and 638,900 a Yes vote. This means that 69.75 percent of the votes were against. The voter turnout was around 38 percent. The initiative "For a responsible economy within planetary boundaries (environmental responsibility initiative)" was launched by the Young Greens.
The initiative was rejected in all cantons, least clearly in Basel-Stadt with just under 55%. Moreover, the "no" votes in Neuchâtel, Geneva, Vaud and Jura were lower than in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. With over 84%, Schwyz was the most vocal No vote, followed by Nidwalden and Obwalden
Yes in several cities
Around ten municipalities voted yes, almost all of them in French-speaking Switzerland and both rural municipalities and cities. Voters in Lausanne, Bern, Vevey VD, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Biel BE said yes. The greatest approval - around 60 percent - came from the Jura municipality of Lajoux.
In most municipalities, the initiative was clearly rejected. The municipalities of Riemenstalden SZ and Ederswiler JU even recorded 100 percent "no" votes. The cities of Geneva, Basel and Zurich also said no.
The clear "no" vote was to be expected. In the last surveys commissioned by SRG, Tamedia and "20 Minuten", over 60 percent of respondents rejected the initiative launched by the Young Greens. And as is usual with initiatives, the "no" camp had become larger compared to previous surveys.
Restructuring within ten years
The initiative "For a responsible economy within planetary boundaries (environmental responsibility initiative)" aimed to preserve and protect the foundations of life. Economic activities and consumption in Switzerland should only be allowed to use as many resources as nature itself can replace. This would have required a radical change in the economy.
Everyday life would also have been affected: The federal government and cantons would have had to ensure that the environmental impact of consumption and economic activities no longer exceeded the planetary boundaries corresponding to Switzerland's global population share. This should have been achieved within ten years.
