On 18 June 2023, Swiss voters approved, by 59.07%, the Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security (KlG), commonly known as the "Climate and Innovation Act".
The text is an indirect counter-proposal to the popular initiative "For a healthy climate (Glacier Initiative)", filed in 2019, which demanded an exit from fossil fuels by 2050. Deemed too categorical by Parliament, the initiative was set against a more flexible law based on incentives rather than bans or taxes. The initiative's authors withdrew their text in favour of the law.
The law enshrines the goal of carbon neutrality (net zero) by 2050, with intermediate targets, and provides financial support: an impulse programme to replace fossil-fuel heating systems and support for business innovation.
The SVP launched a referendum, calling the law "costly and deceitful" and raising the spectre of soaring bills and an electricity shortage. All other parties, the Federal Council and most business circles backed the text, accepted by 19 of the 26 cantons.
▲ Cantons that accepted Geneva (74.5%), Vaud, Basel-Stadt, Zurich, Bern, Lucerne, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Outer Rhodes, St. Gallen, Graubünden, Aargau, Ticino, Valais, Neuchâtel, Jura | ▼ Cantons that rejected Schwyz, Uri, Glarus, Thurgau, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Appenzell Inner Rhodes |
Actors and personalities
▲ Yes camp • Federal Council (Albert Rösti, head of DETEC) • FDP, The Centre, SP, Greens (all parties except the SVP) • Green Liberals and EPP • economiesuisse, Swiss Farmers' Union and Swiss Tourism Federation • Climate Alliance and the Glacier Initiative's authors | ▼ No camp • SVP (Marco Chiesa, president) • AUNS (Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland) • Automotive and oil interests • Part of the real-estate sector opposed to the requirements |
Arguments and verdicts
▲ Arguments FOR (Yes camp) A net-zero target written into law « The law sets the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. » — Federal Council, 2023 ✓ Argument confirmed The law came into force on 1 January 2025. It enshrines carbon neutrality by 2050 with binding intermediate targets for the Confederation. The Yes camp's central commitment is legally implemented. Source : FOEN, 2025 Support, without bans or new taxes « The text introduces no bans, no new taxes or charges. » — Albert Rösti, federal councillor, 2023 ✓ Argument confirmed Since 1 January 2025 two programmes have been active: 200 million francs a year for ten years to replace fossil-fuel heating, and 200 million a year for six years for innovation. As promised, the law contains neither bans nor new taxes. Source : FOEN / Buildings Programme, 2025 Strengthening the country's energy security « The law reduces our dependence on imported fossil energy. » — Yes committee, 2023 ✓~ Partly confirmed The law steers the country towards domestic energy, but supply security was mainly addressed by the Electricity Act (Mantelerlass), accepted separately in June 2024 with nearly 68%. The reduction in fossil dependence has begun but remains gradual. Source : SFOE, 2024 | ▼ Arguments AGAINST (No camp) The energy bill will triple « Each household will pay up to 9,600 francs a year, against 3,000 today. » — SVP, 2023 campaign ✗ Argument refuted This figure was called baseless by the scientific community during the campaign. As the law creates no tax, no tripling of bills occurred after it came into force. The prediction did not come true. Source : Heidi.news; FOEN The law brings bans « Oil and gas heating will be dismantled and petrol cars banned. » — SVP, 2023 campaign ✗ Argument refuted The law explicitly contains no ban: neither of combustion vehicles nor of existing fossil-fuel heating. It works through financial incentives. No such ban was introduced by this text. Source : FOEN; legal text (KlG) The law will worsen the electricity shortage « This law will massively worsen the electricity shortage. » — Marco Chiesa, SVP president, 2023 ✗~ Partly refuted The feared shortage did not materialise: supply remained stable and the 2024 Electricity Act strengthened domestic production. Increased electrification does, however, raise genuine long-term capacity questions, which tempers the refutation. Source : SFOE, 2024-2025 |
Factual record
2 Confirmed | 1 Partly confirmed | 1 Partly refuted | 2 Refuted |
| ✓ | The targets and support are in force Carbon neutrality by 2050 is enshrined in law and the support programmes (heating, innovation) have been active since 1 January 2025. The foundation promised by the Yes camp is in place. Source : FOEN, 2025 |
| ✓ | The doomsday scenarios did not materialise No tripling of bills, no bans, no blackout: the No camp's alarmist predictions did not come true in the two years after the vote. Source : FOEN; scientific community |
| ~ | A slower rollout than promised Several observers note delays in deploying the measures. Above all, the law's real effect on Swiss emissions can only be judged in the medium term. Source : Climate associations; FOEN |
The Climate and Innovation Act was born of a compromise: an indirect counter-proposal to the Glacier Initiative, judged too rigid, designed to set a course — carbon neutrality by 2050 — without bans or new taxes. This incentive-based architecture explains its clear acceptance, at 59%, where more binding projects had failed.
The most striking feature of the vote concerns Albert Rösti's role: an SVP federal councillor who, as a parliamentarian, had helped launch the referendum, he found himself defending before the public the very law his party was fighting. The rule of collegiality once again prevailed over the party line.
On substance, the Yes camp's campaign commitments were honoured: the law came into force on 1 January 2025, with its support programmes for heating replacement and innovation. Conversely, the No camp's catastrophic predictions — soaring bills, bans, power shortage — did not materialise in the following two years.
What remains is the essential point the facts do not yet settle: the law's real effect on Swiss emissions. The support is in place, but its rollout has seen delays, and the path to 2050 is still to be proven. The final verdict belongs to the coming decade.