As glaciers melt rapidly in the Swiss Alps, voters have backed a new climate bill designed to cut fossil fuel use and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In a referendum on Sunday, 59.1% of voters backed the green energy proposals, the BBC reports. Opponents had warned that the measures would increase energy prices.
The law will require a move away from dependence on imported oil and gas towards the use of renewable sources.
Nearly all of Switzerland’s major parties supported the bill, except the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which triggered the referendum after pushing back against the government’s proposals.
Switzerland imports about three-quarters of its energy, with all the oil and natural gas consumed coming from abroad.
The climate bill pledges financial support of $2.2bn over a decade to promote the replacement of gas or oil heating systems with climate-friendly alternatives, and a further sum to push businesses towards green innovation.
It comes as glaciers in the Alps are at particular risk of rising temperatures due to climate change. They lost a third of their ice volume between 2001 and 2022.
[Image: schiffelerafz from Pixabay]