"The rise of renewable energy and the reduction of our consumption of oil and gas have allowed Switzerland to avoid 31 billion francs in fossil fuel imports over the past fifteen years," says Pierrette Rey, spokesperson for WWF Switzerland.
Faced with soaring gas prices, several countries — including China and India — have substituted coal for gas to produce their electricity, as highlighted by the latest semiannual report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
According to Henri Klunge, newly elected deputy in the canton of Vaud and founder of Alcane Conseils, "the presence of this small molecule in the drinking water should remind us that our activities are not without consequences nor without risks for the environment."
“Switzerland is at the heart of the European electricity system... without really being part of it. This paradox risks costing us more and more,” warns Dominique Rochat, Energy & Infrastructure Project Manager at Economiesuisse.
From next year, the Scandinavian country should no longer sell a single new petrol car. However, its ambitions to become a model of green growth remain tainted by its dependence on oil.