Local (Lucerne): Climate and Energy Strategy

On 25 September on the local level in Lucerne, voters will be asked to decide on the city's climate and energy strategy. Both a proposal by the city parliament majority and a counter-proposal by the a parliament minority will be up for a vote. We have collected all the information for you here.

Vote of 25 September 2022 on the Climate and Energy Strategy of the City of Lucerne

On 25 September 2022, the population can vote on the climate and energy strategy of the city of Lucerne. Two variants will be put to the vote: the proposal adopted by the parliamentary majority and the counter-proposal by FDP/Die Mitte. The city council recommends that the voters accept both proposals. However, it is clearly in favour of the parliamentary proposal. Limiting climate change is an enormous challenge. It will require great efforts. From all of us, in all areas.

In 2019, the city parliament demanded that the city of Lucerne take more forceful action against climate change. The city council took up the demands and presented its tightened climate and energy strategy to the public in mid-2021. On 17 February 2022, the city parliament finally debated the corresponding report and motion and passed it with some amendments. For the FDP/Die Mitte, this proposal went too far in some areas. That is why they have lodged a constructive referendum against it and submitted a counter-proposal. Now, on the Sunday of 25 September 2022, the electorate will be able to vote on the parliamentary proposal and on that of the FDP/Die Mitte.

In order to clarify the situation before the vote in September 2022, the city council held a media briefing on 14 June.

 

Question on the ballot:

1.1 Do you approve the new climate protection strategy in the City of Lucerne proposed by the government and the parliament?
[YES/NO/ABSTAIN]

1.2 Do you approve the counter proposal to the government- and parliament-proposed new climate protection strategy for the City of Lucerne?

1.3 Decisive question: If both proposals (1.1. and 1.2.) get a majority, which of the proposals do you prefer? [1.1./1.2/NONE]

 

The approved parliamentary bill

The most important overarching goals of the bill passed by parliament are:

  •     The energy demand in the city area is around 4000 watts of continuous power per capita. It is to be halved to 2000 watts by 2050.
  •     Currently, the energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the city amount to about 5.1 tonnes per capita and year. These are to be reduced to zero by 2040.
  •     In 2020, photovoltaic systems cover about two per cent of the city's annual electricity consumption. By 2050, this figure should be 25 per cent.

The new climate and energy strategy includes a comprehensive package of measures. This significantly increases the previous efforts in the areas of electricity and heating. In the area of mobility, the city council wants to reduce the number of parking spaces on public property and, if possible, convert the city's vehicle fleet to renewable drive systems by 2030. In addition, communication with the population and cooperation with external partners from business and society are to be strengthened. The climate and energy strategy contains the necessary resources for this. A total of 32 concrete measures are listed in the report and motion.


Amendments by Parliament

The submission of the City Parliament contains some minor changes to the original report and proposal of the City Council. The most important are:

  •     More ambitious interim target 2030 for greenhouse gas emissions.
  •     No financial support for building refurbishments that lead to insufficiently justified vacancies.
  •     A heating supply based on 100 per cent renewable energy sources also for city-owned properties in the financial assets by 2035.

The city council supports the parliamentary proposal. This includes various amendments to the regulations as well as four special credits totalling CHF 32.55 million.


Costs and financing of the strategy

For the years 2022 to 2026, the city council expects costs of around 46 million francs. On the one hand, significantly higher contributions to the energy fund are necessary, on the other hand, substantial additional investments. In addition, 840 jobs will have to be created step by step for the implementation of the measures and for the intensification of communication. In addition, the dividend of ewl energie wasser luzern will probably be reduced from around 12 to 6 million Swiss francs per year from 2024.

The financing of the energy fund is to be secured through additional revenue from earmarked levies: On the one hand, the city council wants to increase the concession fees for the electrical distribution grids. On the other hand, if necessary, a climate centime is to be introduced from 2025 at the earliest. The longer-term financial effects of the climate and energy strategy are difficult to estimate. In view of the very dynamic development, the city council wants to comprehensively evaluate the implementation and impact of the measures for the first time after five years.

 

Positive effects on the economy

Despite the foreseeable additional revenues, the effects of the Climate and Energy Strategy on the city's financial budget are considerable. On the one hand, this additional burden on the financial budget is offset by the reduction of the consequential costs of unchecked climate change. On the other hand, further positive effects on the national economy can be expected. In particular, our economy and local businesses will benefit from the considerable investments triggered by the measures and from the creation of new jobs in promising areas. In addition, the dependence on energy imports will be greatly reduced. Today, more than 85 percent of the energy resources used in the city of Lucerne come from abroad.

 

ewl strives for renewable energy supply

The Ukraine war has made people even more aware of decarbonisation. The municipal energy supplier ewl energie wasser luzern has been committed to this for some time. In parallel to the city's climate and energy strategy, ewl has developed a "Renewable Heat Strategy". ewl's goals are clear: to accelerate the expansion of district heating and lake energy supply, to adapt the gas infrastructure and to position itself as an investor in renewable heat supply and as a decarbonisation partner for municipalities, site developers and industry. In the supply areas of the city of Lucerne, ewl wants to realise a 100 per cent renewable energy supply and thus move away from fossil gas altogether. "We consider the decarbonisation of the heat supply to be not only a necessity in terms of climate policy," says Patrik Rust, Chairman of the Executive Board of ewl, "but also recognise in it the entrepreneurial opportunities for ewl." However, the "Renewable Heat Strategy" is financially challenging for ewl, which is why financing requires accompanying measures such as cutting the dividend or subsidising ecologically sensible projects that are not yet profitable in the medium term.

 


The counter-proposal by FDP/Die Mitte

The counter-proposal by FDP/Die Mitte supports most of the goals and measures of the Climate and Energy Strategy. However, for the referendum committee, the city parliament's proposal contains "prohibitions and demands that cannot be implemented", which it rejects. In particular, the committee rejects the more ambitious interim target of 2030 for greenhouse gas emissions, the target of "100 per cent renewable motor vehicles by 2040", the ban on non-renewable electricity in the liberalised electricity market and the obligation to provide advice for owners of properties with poor energy efficiency. Furthermore, motorised private transport should be capped at the level of 2020 and the reduction of parking spaces on public land should not be implemented. The counter-proposal would cost practically the same as the parliamentary proposal. Nothing would change in terms of financing.

However, the counter-proposal contains two ambiguities. On the one hand, the authority to reduce parking spaces on public land lies with the city council. On the other hand, the committee meant 2019, not 2020, with regard to the ceiling on traffic volume. According to the City Council/City Chancellery, the committee itself can clarify the incorrect year. How the city council would implement the issue of parking spaces after a Yes to the counter-proposal is still open. However, these two ambiguities are not relevant for the city council in its assessment of the counter-proposal.

 

Recommendation of the City Council

The City Council recommends the electorate to accept both the Grand City Council's proposal and the counter-proposal of FDP/Die Mitte and to vote for the Grand City Council's proposal in the run-off question. Reason: To a large extent, the proposal of the Grand City Council and the counter-proposal of the FDP/Die Mitte are in agreement. However, the counter-proposal wants to largely exclude road traffic from ambitious goals and effective measures. For the city council, however, the transport sector should also make its contribution to stopping climate change as quickly as possible and maintaining the high quality of life in the city of Lucerne.

 

The information on this page is translated from https://www.stadtluzern.ch/aktuelles/newslist/1570480