A Well-Intended Idea, But an Impossible Execution: My Thoughts on the Environmental Responsibility Initiative (Vote on February 9th Weekend)

I’ve looked at the initiative text for the new bill, which was proposed and is up for a vote this weekend (“Volksinitiative
Für eine verantwortungsvolle Wirtschaft innerhalb der planetaren Grenzen (Umwelt-verantwortungsinitiative)”1). Reading it leaves me feeling sad.

The image features the same booklet in two forms: one open and one closed. The booklet is printed in German and has a structured layout with headings, paragraphs, and highlighted sections. The left page has a bolded title and a red sidebar with labels, while the right page contains a blue-highlighted box. The red booklet on the right side, partially visible, has white text and a date—February 9, 2025—indicating it relates to an upcoming referendum. The overall design is clean and formal, with a focus on readability.

I think this is an important topic—one we should discuss. However, the proposed changes2 are so far-reaching, and the transition time so short (just 10 years), that they seem impossible to implement. And that’s without even considering how execution would work to meet the stated goals (the Swiss industry would be allowed to use only as many planetary resources as necessary to maintain basic natural Lebensgrundlagen).

I understand that we must act now. But how can we, when we are given a proposal so utopian that it seems unworkable? Why not take a smaller, more concrete approach?

It’s disappointing. I would have liked to vote yes (to send a message), but as it stands, I don’t feel I can accept it.

  1. Environmental Responsibility Initiative ↩︎

  2. Part of the changes:

    Art. 94a
    1 Die Natur und ihre Erneuerungsfähigkeit bilden den Rahmen für die schweizerische Gesamtwirtschaft. Wirtschaftliche Tätigkeiten dürfen nur so viele Ressourcen verbrauchen und Schadstoffe freisetzen, dass die natürlichen Lebensgrundlagen erhalten bleiben.
    2 Bund und Kantone stellen die Einhaltung dieses Grundsatzes sicher; dabei tragen sie insbesondere der Sozialverträglichkeit im In- und Ausland der von ihnen getroffenen Maßnahmen Rechnung.

     ↩︎

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