Swiss Green party launches a motion to ban SUV adverts
As part of Badvertising’s campaign to end the active promotion of high-carbon living we’re calling for an end to the advertising of SUVs.
Last December, the local Swiss Green party from the canton of Jura put together a motion demanding that the national Government limit or even ban the advertising of SUVs on the grounds that these contribute to driving carbon emissions up.
The SUV boom in Switzerland
Over the last ten years, SUV sales have progressed around the world to the extent that these vehicles have become the second largest contributing to the rise in carbon emissions. As a wealthy country with high consumer purchasing power, the popularity of SUVs in Switzerland is significant. In 2018, these vehicles represented around half of all imported cars into the country.
Young Greens initiative
Back in 2011, the Young Greens launched an initiative to ban the import of SUVs to Switzerland, which gathered up to 123,000 signatures. The initiative was later withdrawn following pressures from the Swiss government which made a commitment that by 2015 new vehicles wouldn’t be allowed to emit more than 130gCO2/km and that by 2020 they would meet the European emissions target of 95gCO2/km. These targets have however never been met. In 2018, average CO2 emissions for new cars in Switzerland were around 138gCo2/km. The Young Greens are now considering launching a new initiative on the issue unless the Government legally constrains new vehicles to meet the 95gCO2/km target by 2021, in order to respect the emissions reduction objectives included in the Paris agreement.
The motion in detail
In addition to the advertising ban, the Green Party’s motion also requires that the Government launch an information campaign addressed to current and prospective drivers as well as garage owners about the environmental impacts of driving SUVs. The objective is to stress the importance of reducing carbon emissions and encourage the population to use low carbon modes of transport or buy less polluting vehicles when necessary.