Switzerland's 2030 climate target at risk, minister says

Switzerland may struggle to meet its 2030 climate target because of budget limits, Environment Minister Albert Rosti told Le Temps on Thursday.

The country has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions to half of 1990 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Rosti said he did not yet think Switzerland would miss the 2050 goal, but that “the situation is more complicated for 2030.”

A significant part of Switzerland's planned emissions reductions relies on buying international carbon credits, which fund projects that cut greenhouse gases in other countries. Rosti said he did not see how Switzerland could find the extra 300 million to 400 million Swiss francs, or $370 million to $495 million, needed in the current budget context.

Rosti said Switzerland accounts for about one-thousandth of global CO2 emissions. He said Switzerland's priority at the climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, in November would be to establish an international roadmap.