On animal welfare, a green economy and climate change
In terms of direct democracy, the US state of Massachusetts is similar to Switzerland. A recent statewide initiative dealing with animal welfare and sales regulation provides an interesting parallel to the past Swiss initiative for a green economy, and Swiss climate policy more generally.
I have not lived in Switzerland very long, and there are several years remaining before I can apply for citizenship. In the meantime I ought to vote somewhere, and just I did so in the place where I am still a citizen: Massachusetts. Massachusetts is roughly the same size as Switzerland, and is also very similar in terms of direct democracy at the local, county, and statewide levels. On my ballot this week there were four statewide initiatives. One of them, dealing with animal welfare, provides an interesting parallel to the recent Swiss initiative for a green economy, and Swiss climate policy more generally.
Market regulation in favor of animal welfare
The animal welfare initiative, should it pass, will require farms in Massachusetts to provide sufficient space for chickens, pigs, and veal calves to move around and lie down. Importantly, the initiative will also forbid businesses in Massachusetts –butchers, supermarkets, restaurants – from selling eggs, chicken, pork, or veal that had not been not raised in a manner whereby the animal could move around or lie down. The second part, call it the sales regulation, is important. I myself grew up on a farm (and our chickens and pigs had lots of room), but farms are not a large part of the Massachusetts economy, and most of the eggs and meat that people in Massachusetts consume are imported from elsewhere. So on the one hand, the sales regulation would protect Massachusetts farms from losing out to foreign farms that have the economic benefit of being allowed to raise animals inhumanely. On the other hand, the sales regulation is the only way to make sure that Massachusetts consumers do not inadvertently contribute to the continuation of inhumane animal treatment elsewhere. Without the regulation, they would have to pay close attention to the food they buy, or else stop eating eggs and meat altogether.
How Massachusetts pork is like Swiss CO2
Just like most of the potentially inhumane animal treatment that Massachusetts people cause takes place outside the state, most of the CO2 emissions that people in Switzerland cause actually take place elsewhere: they come from burning fossil fuel to produce goods and services that we import. We can be happy that the Swiss energy system already relies far less on fossil fuel than those in most other countries, and there is a good chance that we will lead the way in removing fossil fuels entirely. But Swiss people will still be causing substantial emissions through their consumption of imported goods. And if there were extra costs associated with eliminating fossil fuels from production chains – I don’t think there are, but others disagree – then this would place products made here at a competitive disadvantage compared to imports.
The initiative for a green economy, had it passed, would have accounted for these imported emissions and their associated ecological footprint. It would likely have required future regulations, similar to the proposed sales regulation for eggs and meat in Massachusetts, requiring products sold in Switzerland to have been manufactured without fossil fuel. Just like Massachusetts people will still be able to eat plenty of eggs and meat, the Swiss regulations wouldn’t affect our total quantity of consumption, but they would affect how the goods we consume are produced.
Going green without an amendment
The initiative did not pass. The Federal Council argued that we do not need a constitutional amendment in order to become green. Especially given this argument, the failure of the initiative should not prevent our policy-makers from implementing regulations pertaining to fossil fuels used to produce goods sold here. Perhaps by the time I can apply to become Swiss, this will have happened.