Switzerland has rejected in a referendum the proposal for measures to deal with climate change in the east of the country. Two projects to reduce carbon emissions have been published in the popular consultation: raising the tax on car fuels and imposing the tax on air cards. Decisions would be the way to comply with the Paris Agreement, but they have not been accepted: 51.6% of the population said no.

The vote has been very tight. The 'no' has only won with two points of difference, and the views in favour and against have been taken up. Advocates of rejection of the measures have made the situation less serious: In this regard, he recalled that Switzerland generates only 0.1% of global CO2 emissions in 2010. Conversely, the Minister for the Environment, Simonetta Sommaruga, explained that after the decision it would be "very difficult" for the Swiss Government to fulfil the conditions agreed in the Paris Agreement. The Green Party, for its part, has ensured that oil and gas companies have won, and that the rejection received on Sunday will "dramatically" slow down the effort to deal with climate change.

Two other measures of minor importance have also been voted on during the weekend micos.Por on the one hand, the law banning artificial pesticides and, on the other hand, aid to farmers who do not use chemicals. These measures have also been rejected.

Looking to the future

According to news agency Reuters, the Swiss government agreed to halve the discharges it had made in the 1990s by 2030. To do so, I had to choose to boost renewable energy sources and try to reduce the use of fossil fuels by increasing taxes on them. The ultimate goal was to avoid discharges by 2050.