Switzerland is missing the greenhouse gas reduction target
Switzerland narrowly missed its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, despite corona lockdowns and an unusually warm winter.
This content was published on April 11, 2022 – 14:51
swissinfo.ch/mga
The Alpine state had set itself the goal of reducing pollutant emissions by 20% compared to 1990. The actual reduction was 19%, This was announced by the Federal Office for the Environment on Mondayexternal link.
“During a comparatively warm winter, there was less heating. The pandemic has led to a sharp drop in mobility,” said the environmental agency. “With the lifting of the pandemic restrictions, emissions are increasing significantly again. The pressure to act remains high.”
Only the industrial sector exceeded its emission reduction targets between 2013 and 2020, reducing CO2 equivalents by 17% over that period.
The government is particularly disappointed that the transport sector has missed its 10% reduction target. Vehicles only managed an 8% reduction at the peak of the pandemic, despite an increase in the number of electric and biogas alternatives and a huge reduction in traffic.
Emissions from the construction sector fell 39%, just missing the 40% target, despite less oil and gas being used to heat homes in a warm winter. “The building sector continues to be heated to a significant extent with fossil fuels,” the statement said.
Agriculture and “other” sectors fell well short of their targets.
Switzerland had set itself a target of slightly more than the 15.8% reductions set out in the Kyoto Protocol between 2013 and 2020. Domestic emissions were reduced by 11% over this period, which increased to 19% mainly through offsetting emissions through funding sustainable climate projects in other countries.
In the Paris climate agreement, Switzerland committed itself to halving emissions by 2030 and wants to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050external link.
But the government was forced to revise its plansexternal link when voters rejected a package of climate reforms last year.
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