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The Swiss have turned down an initiative calling for government intervention to ensure the country uses natural resources sustainably.

Only 36.4% backed the initiative on Sunday, and Geneva was the only canton where a majority of voters said yes.

It appears Swiss voters were unwilling to pay the economic price to reduce the country’s ecological footprint.

The Green Party initiative wanted Switzerland to commit to achieving a sustainable use of natural resources by 2050. If everyone lived like the Swiss 2.8 times worth the Earth’s resources would be used up every year.

To do that, the Greens argued that the government must intervene. Their initiative called for constitutional amendments requiring the government to promote research and innovation in order to improve the sustainable and efficient use of resources, as well as introduce new product regulations and tax incentives.

 

Here the full report on the referendum results.