Environmental movement in Switzerland
The environmental movement in Switzerland is represented by a wide range of associations.
The article also present green politics and environmental policies of Switzerland.
Organisations
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.Governmental
Non-governmental
- Pro Natura – the oldest
- Swiss Association for the Protection of Birds
- Swiss section of the World Wide Fund for Nature – the largest number of members
- Public Eye (Berne Declaration)
- Ecology and Population
- Franz Weber Foundation
- Swiss Association for Transport and Environment
- Bio Suisse
- Pro Specie Rara
- Swiss section of Greenpeace
- Alternative Bank Schweiz
- Bruno Manser Foundation
- Swiss section of Green Cross International
- Summit Foundation
- Myclimate Foundation
- Swiss Climate Alliance
- * :Category:Swiss Climate Alliance
- Grandparents for Climate
- Swiss Youth for Climate
- Swiss Association for the Protection of Climate
- Lawyers for Climate
Political parties
Other social movements
- BreakFree Switzerland
- Climate Strike Switzerland
- Extinction Rebellion Switzerland
Legislative policies for environment
Legislation
In 1874, an article to protect forests was introduced in the Swiss Federal Constitution. In 1962, a constitutional article was introduced for the protection of nature.In 1967, the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage introduced notably the right of appeal of environmental organizations which gives all Swiss organizations concerned with nature protection the right to raise general objections or to file appeals against some projects. The right of environmental organizations to appeal was later also included in the Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment and the Federal Act on Non-Human Gene Technology.
In 1971, a constitutional article for the protection of the environment was approved by 92.7 per cent of voters and the Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape was founded.
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 and forbidding the construction of new nuclear power plants.
Popular initiatives
Several federal popular initiative were launched to increase environmental protection. Several of them were accepted:- Federal popular initiative "for the protection of marsh", accepted by 57.8 per cent of voters on 6 December 1987. For the protection of wetlands.
- Federal popular initiative "stop the construction of nuclear power plants ", accepted by 54.5 per cent of voters on 23 September 1990. For a ten-year moratorium on the construction of new nuclear plants.
- Federal popular initiative "for the protection of alpine areas against transit traffic", accepted by 51.9 per cent of voters on 20 February 1994. To protect the Alpine environment from the negative impact of traffic.
- Federal popular initiative "for food produced without genetic engineering", accepted by 55.7 per cent of voters on 27 November 2005. For a moratorium on the culture of genetically modified organisms.
- Federal popular initiative "to end the invasive construction of second homes", accepted by 50.6 per cent of voters on 12 March 2012. To reduce urban sprawl by limiting the number of second homes.