Switzerland has set a new greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target, aiming to cut emissions by at least 65pc by 2035 across all sectors, compared with 1990 levels.
The country submitted its new climate plan under the Paris agreement — its nationally determined contribution (NDC) — to the UN climate body the UNFCCC today. Countries party to the Paris accord are due to submit new NDCs including sectoral GHG reduction targets for 2035 by 10 February.
"The target corresponds to a greenhouse gas budget of 106.8mn t of CO2
equivalents, which is equivalent to an average reduction of GHG emissions by at least 59pc over the period 2031–2035," according to the NDC. The targets are to be achieved "primarily" through domestic measures, but the country has the option of including reductions achieved abroad.
"In this respect, Switzerland wishes to continue using internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMO) — emission credits — from cooperation initiatives under article 6 of the Paris Agreement," the NDC said.
Switzerland's dependence on the use of some non-domestic measures to meet its goals once again drew criticism, with environmental group 350.org today slamming the country's "unquantified" reliance on international carbon trading mechanisms.
This raises "serious concerns" about the "credibility" of Switzerland's reduction commitment, 350.org said.
The government said that the targets correspond to the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The measures to achieve the reduction in emissions will be enshrined primarily in the amended CO2 law for the period from 2030. The government will send a draft bill to parliament "in due time".
The long-term climate strategy assumes that in 2050 Switzerland will still be emitting about 11.8mn t/yr of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), mainly from the agriculture, industry, and waste sectors.
The country will therefore need negative emissions exceeding these residual emissions to reach a net-negative balance. The country has already held its first tenders for net negative emissions technologies.
Switzerland's climate policy last year came under fire as the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the country's authorities violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights by insufficiently protecting its citizens from the serious adverse effects of climate change.
Switzerland's government rejected the ruling, arguing among other things that the court did not take into account the country's revised CO2 law, which came into force a month before the ruling in March 2024.
The government also warned against extending the right of appeal to associations to include climate issues, as this would make the realisation of "urgently needed" infrastructure even more difficult.
