Swiss residents pay almost 8 billion Swiss francs per year to other countries for fossil fuels. That’s money that flows to authoritarian regimes like Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Switzerland sends Russia several millions Swiss francs for oil and natural gas – every day. That means Switzerland is indirectly financing the war in Ukraine.

Switzerland imports around three quarters of its energy. For oil and natural gas, Switzerland is completely dependent on other countries. Greater domestic energy supplies would not only give us energy supply security and independence, they would also provide stability for our companies. Because while we can’t produce oil or gas, we can produce electricity.

Decarbonisation protects us from the extreme price fluctuations of fossil resources, which are finite. The cheapest, most environmentally friendly means of producing electricity are available to us right here, right now: photovoltaics and wind power. That’s because renewable energies are cheaper to generate than conventional electricity.

The Climate Act would see billions invested in Swiss business, rather than flowing to other countries. And that would create jobs. If we generate energy domestically, we also retain the value creation here. The planned stimulus programme would promote new climate-friendly technologies and further strengthen Switzerland’s standing as a world leader in innovation.