The Swiss vote against the inscription of respect for the “limits of the planet” in the Constitution

The Swiss massively rejected an initiative of environmentalists on Sunday, aimed at registering in the Constitution respecting the natural limits of the planet, estimating the project that is too risky for the economy and the lifestyle of the small alpine country.

The referendum “for a responsible economy within the limits of the planet” is rejected at 69.84 %, according to the official provisional statement of the federal authorities on the Votreinfo application, for a participation of almost 38 %. The no won in the 26 cantons in the country.

The result is not very surprised. The federal government, conservative parties and economic circles were firmly opposed to this text. They judged that he endangered the economy by going too far, and believed that the current plans to combat climate change were sufficient.

Planetary limit

“There was a campaign of opponents refractory to any change,” said RTS public television, Margot Chauderna, co-president of young green-exps, training at the origin of this initiative.

The young Green-Exs, supported by the left, rooted their proposals in the concept of “planetary limits” as a means of fighting environmental crises. “The objective is to achieve in a decade in a decade of an economy and a society where the quantity of resources consumed and that of the pollutants rejected remain in proportions bearable by the environment,” explains the NGO Greenpeace, partisan of the yes, in A press release.

The project was ambition to include in the Swiss Constitution respect for the natural limits of the planet, which would be scientifically determined.

However, the members of the Coalition of the Yes believe that despite the defeat, the initiative at least had the merit of making the concept of planetary limits known as a means of fighting against environmental crises.

Too radical

The Swiss “do not want to drastically adapt their way of life to take care of the planet”, comments the daily Tagesanzeiger, believing that “it is understandable”. “The initiative asked for environmental protection from forceps”, judges the German -speaking daily life that in the event of yes, Switzerland should have reduced its consumption in the space of ten years, which “would have required severe cuts in the economy ”.

The French -speaking newspaper Liberty also judges that it was too much to ask the population. “The implementation of the text of the young Greens meant a radical questioning of the lifestyle of the Swiss population, to which it is not ready to consent,” we can read there.

Before the ballot, the UDC, the radical right which is the first party in Switzerland, did not chew its words: “This initiative is dangerous, because it would have a very significant increase in prices or a decrease in the diversity of The offer in the fields as varied as well as food, housing, mobility or even clothes. ” “In summary, we would destroy the prosperity of Switzerland, with an economic level similar to countries like Afghanistan, Haiti or Madagascar,” even dared an elected UDC, Nicolas Kolly, to denigrate the initiative.