How green are the Swiss?

Young Swiss people (18- to 35-year-olds) are among the biggest polluters, largely due to a minority who fly frequently, say the survey authors. Keystone/patrick B. Kraemer

What’s the average carbon footprint in Switzerland? Who pollutes more: young or old, rich or poor, city dwellers or country folk? A new survey offers a detailed breakdown of personal CO2 emissions and suggests the Swiss largely underestimate their individual carbon footprints. 

Greenhouse gas emissions have been falling steadily in Switzerland since 1990. But as citizens of one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the Swiss have bigger carbon footprints than most others. A recent surveyExternal link of Swiss residents gives details on the consumption habits and environmental impact of different groups. 

Income and age are decisive factors when it comes to CO2 emissions, the self-assessment surveyExternal link by the Sotomo institute for the renewable energy firm Helion shows. Young adults are the worst offenders (11.3 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions per person); the average is 10.5 tonnes. But this high figure is largely down to a minority of 18- to 35-year-olds who consume a great deal and fly more often, say the authors. 

The lowest emitters are elderly women, who drive the least and own the fewest cars. 

Unsurprisingly, the highest earners (those with a gross monthly income of over CHF16,000 ($18,500)) easily have the biggest carbon footprint (14.8 tonnes of CO2 per person per year). They fly and shop more often and typically live in bigger houses and flats, the study shows. But part of their larger environmental impact is offset by the fact that many drive electric cars or own energy-efficient homes which are well insulated, fitted with heat pumps or solar panels. 

The urban-rural divide in Switzerland is a regular talking point. It recently raised its head during the vote on the Swiss CO2 law that failed at the ballot box three years ago due to strong resistance and mobilisation in rural areas. But the Sotomo study found no major carbon footprint differences between city dwellers and those living in the countryside or between the three main language regions (French, German or Italian speakers). 

On average, women are responsible for slightly less CO2 than men, it also found. This is thought to be principally due to mobility, as Swiss men drive more often than women. The CO2 gender gap is more pronounced among older generations. 

One of the main conclusions of the poll is that most Swiss underestimate their environmental impact. A majority (56%) believe they are more climate-friendly than the average resident. Only 10% said their own behaviour was probably more harmful.  

As the chart above shows, the discrepancy between self-assessment and actual behaviour is particularly wide among top earners. Of those earning over CHF16,000 a month, roughly a quarter said they emitted more than the average resident. But in reality, 79% emit more. 

In another poll question, the vast majority (71%) of respondents agreed that as individuals they must contribute towards combating climate change. Despite this willingness to act, 59% of respondents said the climate crisis “gets on their nerves”. 

Also, many feel they had already made adjustments to their daily lives to help the climate transition. Less than half of those surveyed (45%) believe they need to make further changes in their own behaviour to help save the climate.  

In 1960, the United States, Russia and Germany were responsible for over half of all greenhouse gases produced worldwide. Since the 1970s, China has been steadily climbing the list of countries with the biggest climate footprint and now occupies first place.  

China, the US and India are not only the world’s biggest CO2 emitters – they are also the most populous nations on the planet (with a combined total of three billion people). 

Not everyone on the planet has the same impact on the climate. A person living in China is responsible for 7.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – around half as much as someone in Switzerland or the US, according to the latest per-capita consumption-based CO2 emissions dataExternal link compiled by the Global Carbon Project. The Swiss figure is in a similar range to that of the Sotomo/Helion survey, which based its calculation on values used by the Swiss Climate footprint calculatorExternal link and the German Federal Environment Agency’s Carbon CalculatorExternal link.  

The wealth-emissions issue is complex. Many countries – mainly industrialised ones such as Switzerland – show that it is possible to continue to grow without polluting moreExternal link. This is known as “decoupling” – that is, disassociating population and GDP growth from increasing CO2 emissions. 

Between 2000 and 2020, Switzerland’s population grew by 20%, to 8.7 million, mainly as a result of immigration. Per capita GDP increased by 25%, from CHF65,000 ($69,400) to around CHF80,400 per year. Over the same period, domestic and import-related (or grey) emissions fell by 13%, according to the Federal Statistical Office. 

This means that today, a person living in Switzerland has, on average, a higher income than 20 years ago but generates fewer emissions overall. The same can be said for those living, for instance, in the United States, Germany, France and Italy. 

Edited by Balz Rigendinger