Climate change is a threat that all of us are aware of but it seems that people in power often struggle to understand its magnitude. One of the many countries that recently took a step in the right direction is Switzerland. In a recent referendum that would be nothing less than an overhaul in climate-related policies, they took a referendum in which the majority of the citizens voted for the overhaul in policies, seeing how drastically Switzerland’s alpine glaciers have melted.
Switzerland’s Alpine Glaciers Melt
The Swiss population sends out a strong signal: the law for bringing the country to net zero emissions was accepted today!
What started with the #glacier initiative several years ago has now come to an end.
Very happy that the arguments of #climate science were heard! pic.twitter.com/R2O5BIk9xE— Matthias Huss (@matthias_huss) June 18, 2023
The impact of climate change is becoming increasingly evident. From Polar bears dying to ice caps melting and raising sea levels, these literal harbingers of doom are everywhere. Switzerland is not immune to the impact of climate change.
Last year, the country’s iconic alpine glaciers experienced record-breaking melting According to many reports, more than 6 per cent of the total volume of the glaciers melted. This gave rise to alarm among Swiss scientists who called for action.
Matthias Huss, a Swiss geologist frequently uses his Twitter account to share alarming details about the very real impacts of climate change in Switzerland. He posted a time-lapse of the glaciers melting which is extremely concerning to witness.
Due to the gradual and abstract nature of the problem, climate change is not taken as seriously, however, such time-lapses put things into perspective.
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Referendum Called For By Scientists & Climate Activists
Snow conditions in early June at the snout of Rhone #glacier.
Even though snow depletion is not so advanced as in 2022, the ice was much better protected in 2019 and 2021 at that time of the year.
Also note the fast retreat and thinning of the glacier, and the growth of the lake pic.twitter.com/6mqHbOeGuV— Matthias Huss (@matthias_huss) June 9, 2023
Heeding the call to action made by the scientists, the Swiss government introduced a referendum regarding a bill that would introduce major reforms in the country’s climate-related policies. The bill introduced would help drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Essentially, the plan is to gradually wean corporations off of fossil fuels and introduce more climate-friendly options. Even though the majority voted in favour of the bill, a sizable population was against it as well.
The final results revealed that a total of 40.9 per cent of people voted against the bill and 59.1 per cent favoured the bill. A total of 3 billion Swiss francs have been set aside to undertake more climate-friendly initiatives.
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Do you think Switzerland will be able to achieve this goal? How do you think India can help improve climate change through its policies? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image Credits: @matthias_huss/Twitter