*I am terribly sorry for the delay; I have emailed mentor WooJoo and Team Eco-Generation for further information. 

Switzerland is one of the most eco-friendly countries in the world; in 2018, Switzerland was ranked first in the world with an overall score of 87.42. The score was determined by multiple factors such as water sanitation, water resources, air pollution, and climate and energy. In the updated 2020 list, Switzerland ranked third in the world. Although they have lost their position at first, the fact that they are still one of the highest-ranked countries proves that they remain eco-friendly and that their environmental regulations are still applicable. Most of these environmental regulations stem from statutes of the Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation, and in this report, I am going to highlight a few of these statutes and how they contribute to Switzerland’s status as one of the most eco-friendly countries in the world. 

One of the most important goals of these statutes is to conserve Swiss animals. Conserving animals was a major factor in what made Swiss so eco-friendly, as the abundance of animals and biodiversity usually correlates to how well nature itself was preserved. There were many statutes put into place for this purpose. The Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment aims to protect biological communities from any “effects which could become harmful or a nuisance,” such as radioactive substances that may negatively harm animals. The Federal Act on the Protection of Waters aims to keep the water clean in order to preserve “waters suitable as a habitat for fish.” The Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage, similar to The Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment, also aims to preserve natural habitats and conserve Swiss animals. The Federal Act on Non-Human Gene Technology aims to protect animals from inhumane use of gene technology. 

Arguably, the most important goal of these statutes that were put into place is to protect biological environments. Some of the statutes that were mentioned above were also put into place for this specific purpose; these statutes include the Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment (aims to protect “biological communities and habitats”), Federal Act on the Protection of Waters (aims to “preserve the natural habitats” of indigenous organisms), Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (aims to “support the cantons in fulfilling their tasks in the fields of nature protection”), and Federal Act of Non-Human Gene Technology (aims to “protect… the environment from abuses of gene technology”). However, there are also two important statutes that weren’t repeated above that contributed to a big part of Switzerland’s success in protecting environments. These statutes are the Federal Act on Forest which is intended to protect and assure the well-being of forests (a type of biological environment), and the Federal Act on the Reduction of CO2 Emissions which is “intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and in particular CO2 emissions,” as greenhouse gases is widely regarded as one of the main factors contributing to climate change and the destruction of biological environments. 

With the help of these six statutes I mentioned above and other minor statutes that I have not included, Switzerland was able to conserve biodiversity in environments and ultimately earn its title as one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. Coming from South Korea, a country that is far from being one of the most eco-friendly countries, I believe that we can learn from these efforts that have been successful in countries like Switzerland and apply them to our own in order to not only become more eco-friendly as a country but also to cause the world to become more eco-friendly.

Sources:

1: https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/19830267/index.html

2: https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/19910022/index.html

3: https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/19660144/index.html

4: https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/19910255/index.html

5: https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/19996136/index.html

6: https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/20091310/index.html#:~:text=This%20Act%20is%20intended%20to,less%20than%202%20degrees%20Celsius.

7: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/06/05/10-most-green-countries-europe-us-ranks-24-environment/?sh=758091d575ad

8: https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-worlds-most-sustainable-countries