In brief

In recent decades, Switzerland has made progress on various environmental issues. Natural resources are used more efficiently, and the overall environmental impact of the Swiss population’s per capita consumption is lower than 20 years ago. Nevertheless, natural resources such as water, soil and air are still heavily utilised, both in Switzerland and globally – often to such an extent that they are unable to recover. This can have a negative impact on living conditions.

The Environmental Responsibility Initiative requires that economic activities do not consume more resources and release more pollutants than is permitted for the preservation of natural resources. This goal is to be achieved through measures that are socially acceptable both within Switzerland and abroad. The initiative sets a time limit of ten years: from that point onwards, the environmental impact of consumption in Switzerland must no longer exceed planetary boundaries when measured by Switzerland’s share of the world population. The text of the initiative does not specify the exact implementation measures, such as regulations, bans or incentives for more environmentally friendly consumption. Due to the short time limit, radical measures are likely to be required.