The environmental movement in Switzerland is represented by a wide range of associations (non-governmental organisations).
The article also present green politics and environmental policies of Switzerland.
Organisations exist and act on local, cantonal, federal and international scales. Environmental non-governmental organisations vary widely in political views and in the way they seek to influence environmental behaviours and policies.
In 1874, an article to protect forests was introduced in the Swiss Federal Constitution. [8] In 1962, a constitutional article was introduced for the protection of nature. [8]
In 1967, the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage introduced notably the right of appeal of environmental organizations ("entitlement to appeal", article 12) which gives all Swiss organizations concerned with nature protection the right to raise general objections or to file appeals against some projects. [9] [10] The right of environmental organizations to appeal was later also included in the Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment (1985, article 55 [11] ) and the Federal Act on Non-Human Gene Technology (2004, article 28 [12] ). [10]
In 1971, a constitutional article for the protection of the environment was approved by 92.7 per cent of voters (article 24, currently article 74 of the constitution of 1999) and the Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (renamed Federal Office for the Environment in 2006) was founded (as part of the Department of Transport, Communications and Energy). [13]
The Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments was introduced in 1977.
On 21 May 2017, 58 per cent of Swiss voters accepted the new Energy Act establishing the energy strategy 2050 (energy transition) and forbidding the construction of new nuclear power plants. [14]
Several federal popular initiative were launched to increase environmental protection. Several of them were accepted: [15]
The Federal Chancellor is the head of the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland, the oldest Swiss federal institution, established at the initiative of Napoleon in 1803. The officeholder acts as the general staff of the seven-member Federal Council. The Chancellor is not a member of the government and the office is not at all comparable to that of the Chancellor of Germany or the Chancellor of Austria.
The Green Party of Switzerland is a green political party in Switzerland. It is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Switzerland since 1 July 2022. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples passed the Swiss Parliament in December 2020. The law was challenged in a referendum on 26 September 2021 by opponents of same-sex marriage and was approved with the support of 64% of voters and a majority in all 26 cantons. The law went into force on 1 July 2022. A provision of the law permitting same-sex marriages performed abroad to be recognised in Switzerland took effect on 1 January 2022.
The Federal Assembly, also known as the Swiss parliament, is Switzerland's federal legislature. It meets in Bern in the Federal Palace.
Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. Lavaux consists of 830 hectares of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva.
Ten referendums were held in Switzerland during 2008. The first two were held on 24 February on business tax reform and aircraft noise. A further three were held on 1 June on public information campaigns, naturalisation and health reform. The final five were held on 30 November on legalising cannabis, making the pension age flexible, restricting the right of appeal of associations against construction projects, amending the constitutional article on narcotics and eliminating the statute of limitations with respect to pornographic crimes against children.
In 2008, nuclear energy provided Switzerland with 40 percent of its electricity, but a survey of Swiss people found that only seven percent of respondents were totally in favor of energy production by nuclear power stations. Many large anti-nuclear demonstrations and protests have occurred over the years.
The energy sector in Switzerland is, by its structure and importance, typical of a developed country. Apart from hydroelectric power and firewood, the country has few indigenous energy resources: oil products, natural gas and nuclear fuel are imported, so that in 2013 only 22.6% of primary energy consumption was supplied by local resources.
The largest immigrant groups in Switzerland are those from Germany, Italy, France, the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Portugal and Turkey, including Turks and Kurds. Between them, these six groups account for about 1.5 million people, 60% of the Swiss population with immigrant background, or close to 20% of total Swiss population.
Pro Natura, founded in 1909 in Basel as Swiss League for the Protection of Nature, is the oldest environmental organisation in Switzerland.
Noé21 is a non-governmental organisation founded in 2003 and based in Geneva. It promotes solutions to climate change.
Switzerland has eighteen official natural parks classified in three categories.
The Federal Office for the Environment is the Swiss environmental agency, a division of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. It is responsible for matters of the environment, including the protection of plants and animals and the protection against noise, air pollution or natural hazards.
Seven national referendums were held in Switzerland during 2017. Polling took place on 12 February, 21 May and 24 September, whilst no referendum was scheduled for the November date.
Ten national referendums were held in Switzerland in 2018. Polling took place on 4 March, 10 June, 23 September and 25 November.
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2019, with votes taking place on 10 February and 19 May. Federal parliamentary elections were held on 20 October, which led the Swiss Federal Council to postpone the November round of voting until 2020.
The 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum was a facultative referendum held in Switzerland on 26 September 2021 about an amendment to the Civil Code to legalise marriage between people of the same sex, as well as adoption rights for same-sex couples and access to assisted reproductive technology for lesbian couples. The amendment was called "marriage for all" in Swiss public discourse.
The Political Rights Act (PRA) (German: Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte, BPR, French: Loi fédérale sur les droits politiques, LDP, Italian: Legge federale sui diritti politici, LDP), is a Swiss federal law that regulates the exercise of political rights (votations and elections) in Switzerland. The law was adopted on 17 December 1976 by the Federal Assembly and came into force on 1 July 1978.
The Federal Act on the Reduction of CO2 Emissions (CO2 Act) (German: CO2-Gesetz, French: Loi sur le CO2, Italian: Legge sul CO2), is a Swiss federal law that regulates carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate climate change.
In Switzerland, spatial planning is the sum total of public policies concerning land use, the organization of the built environment, and the distribution of facilities and activities throughout the geographical space. Given the country's small size, this is an important issue that has been part of the political debate since the 1930s.
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