BERN - The Environmental Responsibility Initiative was rejected on 9 February 2025 by 1,473,529 votes to 639,005, or 69.7 percent no. Not a single canton said yes. Turnout was 38.1 percent, low for a federal Sunday but in line with a one-item ballot.
The text asked for an economy that respects planetary boundaries, with a ten-year transition. Business groups called it a job killer. The Federal Council had recommended rejection, saying existing climate law already set a path to net zero without a hard stop on whole sectors.
A pattern, not a one-off
Green leaders said the result was about the instrument, not about climate concern. Later ballots in 2025 and 2026 would test that claim again, including the November climate inheritance tax and the March 2026 climate fund.