Switzerland's climate targets have been exceeded by almost double per capita.

Switzerland's greenhouse gas footprint consists of about two-thirds (67.3% in 2021) import-related and about one-third domestic emissions. The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) obliges each party to define nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and pursue national measures to reduce emissions. The revised CO2 Act stipulates that at least two-thirds of the reduction should occur domestically. Switzerland set the goal to reduce emissions within the country by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990. Emissions decreased overall from 55.24 million tons of CO2 equivalents (t CO2eq) in 1990 to 44.14 million t CO2eq in 2020 (-20.1%) and to 40.85 million t CO2eq in 2023 (-26.0%). According to the 2023 greenhouse gas inventory of FOEN, Switzerland thus narrowly achieved the set target, with the reduction in 2020 compared to previous years mainly due to the pandemic and the warm winter. The commitment under the Kyoto Protocol for the period 2013-2020 was also met thanks to emission reductions through projects abroad. During the same period, the population grew from 6.67 million (1990) to 8.82 million inhabitants (2023), an increase of 32%. Per capita, greenhouse gas emissions decreased from 8.28 t CO2eq in 1990 to 5.13 t CO2eq (-38.0%) in 2020 and to 4.63 t CO2eq in 2023 (-44.1%). Thus, Switzerland—considered per capita—would have almost doubled the set climate targets.