Federal Council approves climate agreement with three new countries
Published: Wednesday, Nov 29th 2023, 11:00
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At its meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Council approved bilateral climate agreements with Chile, Kenya and Tunisia. The agreements create the framework conditions for projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Switzerland can count the emission reductions achieved towards its reduction target.
Under the Paris Climate Agreement, Switzerland has committed to halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. According to the Federal Council's press release, Switzerland intends to achieve this goal primarily through domestic measures.
However, the Paris Agreement also enables a country to achieve emission reductions through climate projects abroad. Switzerland can count the emission reductions achieved in the partner country towards its national reduction target.
In 2020, Switzerland signed the world's first agreement of this kind with Peru, followed by similar agreements with Ghana, Senegal, Georgia, Vanuatu, Dominica, Thailand, Ukraine, Morocco, Malawi and Uruguay.
With the agreements, Switzerland has introduced a standard for international climate projects. It includes strict requirements for environmental protection and standards for the protection of human rights. However, the agreements also ensure that reduced emissions cannot be counted twice (for the donor country and the recipient).
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