An independent national expert panel on climate protection shall assist Switzerland to improve its climate politics – this is what the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is proposing for the implementation of the KlimaSeniorinnen ruling. Many countries already work with such expert bodies. In a submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and to Switzerland, NGOs are now setting out the conditions that must be met in order to achieve results with this policy instrument – which is a new concept for Switzerland.
In connection with the implementation of the ruling in the KlimaSeniorinnen case, the Committee of Ministers has called on Switzerland to consider establishing an independent expert body. In doing so, it should draw on best practices from other member states of the Council of Europe.
To assist Switzerland in identifying best practices, Greenpeace International has commissioned an expert report from Dr Alina Averchenkova of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE), a recognised international expert on climate action bodies.
The report concludes that independent expert bodies have now become a cornerstone of effective climate policy across Europe. They bridge the structural gap between the short-term nature of democratic election cycles and the long-term planning horizon required to tackle the climate crisis over several decades. A number of countries, such as the UK and Denmark, have improved climate policy across party lines thanks to climate advisory bodies.
The report sets out the requirements for an effective national climate advisory body:
- Independence: Independence must be enshrined in law and procedures must be transparent.
- Expertise: To enable the body to produce credible analyses and policy proposals, highly competent experts from various disciplines must be involved.
- Clarity of the mandate: Effective bodies advise the government and parliament on setting targets, assess progress and evaluate the effectiveness of measures
- Funding: There must be adequate, stable and predictable funding.
- Embedding in the legislative process: Both the government and parliament should take the body’s analyses and recommendations into account. If they do not follow the recommendations, they should explain why.
The entire population stands to benefit from better climate policy that protects people from increasing climate extremes. A significant gap between targets and reality is emerging in current Swiss climate policy. Switzerland is dependent on expensive foreign carbon credits, the effectiveness of which is uncertain. In this situation, a more objective approach to climate policy presents an opportunity.
«With a sensible climate policy, we are less at the mercy of oil or gas price shocks. We are building added value and jobs in Switzerland, rather than investing billions in foreign projects of dubious effectiveness», says Georg Klingler, climate expert at Greenpeace Switzerland.
The report presented by the NGOs shows that the Committee of Ministers’ call represents an opportunity for Switzerland. The Federal Council is also conducting its own investigations and will submit its position to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe by autumn (Parliamentary Question). The Committee will discuss Switzerland’s performance again at its December meeting.
Further information
Submission by the NGO to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, including the expert report in Annex I and a new ETH study on carbon budgets, which shows that Switzerland is not on track, in Annex II
Contacts
- Georg Klingler, [email protected], +41 79 785 07 38
- Press relations Greenpeace Switzerland, [email protected], +41 44 447 41 11
- Interviews with Dr Averchenkova in English are possible
