Leading Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss, who has closely followed the glaciers' decline, hailed in a tweet the"strong signal" sent by Sunday's vote, saying he was"very happy the arguments of climate science were heard".
Voters also backed adopting a global minimum tax rate of 15 percent for multinational corporations in a second referendum, with 78.5 percent in favour.Recent opinion polls had indicated strong but slipping support for the climate bill in the context of a campaign around electricity shortages and economic ruin driven by the populist right-wing Swiss People's Party , the only Swiss party against the climate bill.
Climate activists had initially wanted to push for a total ban on all oil and gas consumption in Switzerland by 2050. It warned the bill's goal of achieving climate neutrality in just over a quarter-century would effectively mean a fossil fuel ban, which it claims would threaten energy access and send household electricity bills soaring.
The SVP, which just two years ago managed to block a similar law that would have curbed greenhouse gas emissions, also highlighted that backing for the new climate bill was uneven. Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter hailed the"very strong acceptance rate" for the plan to amend the constitution so Switzerland can join the international agreement. The agreement, led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development , calls for a global minimum 15 percent tax rate on multinationals.