why do the Swiss emit so much CO2?

Being a small country does not necessarily mean being a small polluter. Example with Switzerland which is far from being the best student in Europe.

Small country but big carbon footprint. Switzerland and its inhabitants have a carbon footprint closer to that of an American than a French person. And like all countries around the world, Switzerland is present for COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, from Wednesday November 30 to December 12, to accelerate the fight against climate change.

Known for its clean air, its trains and its dams but also for its enormous carbon footprint. When compared to its population, the annual greenhouse gas emissions of an average Swiss person represent 11.63 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, according to the newspaper The weather.

The land of trains but also of cars and planes

So why do the Swiss emit so much CO2? One explanation concerns air transport. Geneva international airport, 18 million passengers per year before Covid-19, offers daily departures for a pittance to most European capitals. The Swiss take the plane like others take the car. “The Swiss fly three times more than our European friendsexplains Jean-Pascal Gillig, who works at WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature. Obviously, there is strong purchasing power. There is a hub of low-cost planes based in Geneva, it is a major temptation to fly for the weekend or for vacation.”

But that’s nothing compared to the car. Roads represent almost a third of the Swiss’ CO2 emissions. Paradoxical, in the land of trains. “We have a railway infrastructure that many countries envy us, but our federal parliament has just voted for several billion for widening and new motorways. It’s quite absurd in a period of crisis when the objective is to let the car in the garage”deplores Jean-Pascal Gillig.

Carbon compensation abroad

Leave the car and reduce gray emissions, that is to say those emissions that the Swiss emit whenever they buy products from abroad. Vehicles, oil, everyday consumer goods and plastic – the Swiss consume three times more than the European average. Fortunately, Bern has a solution with carbon offsetting abroad. Switzerland finances decarbonization projects in southern countries and integrates these results into its own carbon footprint.

For Augustin Fragnière, deputy director of the sustainability competence center at the University of Lausanne, it’s better than nothing, but it all depends on how you do it: “Switzerland is not the only one but it is clearly in the lead at this level. Japan also has compensation programs, Sweden also relies on compensation but with a big difference this country has integrated its indirect emissions, those linked to products imported into the country within its objectives, which is not the case for Switzerland.”

Officially, Switzerland plans to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, but the movement is not self-evident. The Swiss first refused at the polls the C02 law which should allow the country to achieve the objectives of the Paris agreement. Before accepting it in 2022 but in a significantly lighter form.