Greenhouse gas inventory: Switzerland takes its time

The new greenhouse gas inventory shows: Switzerland is reducing greenhouse gas emissions only half as fast as necessary. The Federal Council and the Environment Commission want to halve this rate. In mid-April, the federal government published the new comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory for Switzerland:

In 2017, emissions fell by only around 2 percent, thanks in part to a mild winter and correspondingly lower heating oil consumption. However, greenhouse gas emissions must fall by around 4 percent per year if Switzerland is to remain on track for the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

Traffic the biggest problem child

Instead of doubling the much too slow pace of climate protection, the Federal Council and the Environment Committee of the Council of States want to halve the current pace: From 2020, emissions in Switzerland are to fall by only 1 percent per year.

"We need double speed in climate protection, not half speed," says Patrick Hofstetter, climate policy expert at WWF Switzerland. "The Council of States must finally release the handbrake and turn the CO2 law into a climate protection law worthy of the name."

The new greenhouse gas inventory also shows that transport remains the biggest problem child of Swiss climate policy. Cars and airplanes taking off in Switzerland alone each cause around one fifth of greenhouse gases. Despite technical progress, emissions from cars are hardly decreasing, and in air traffic they are even constantly increasing.

"These are, of all things, the two sectors that pay nothing or almost nothing for the climate damage they cause," says Patrick Hofstetter. "If, in the case of transport, the polluters have to pay for consequential climate damage instead of the general public as is the case today, greenhouse gas emissions will fall rapidly." WWF calls for true costs for all greenhouse gas polluters.

Individual Emmisions outputs of the greenhouse gas inventory can be found in this Link