From water to solar canton: how the climate movement and government in Glarus are focusing on dialogue

Produce your own electricity with PV systems, install heat pumps for heating, use waste heat, build a district heating network: The path to a climate-neutral Switzerland also starts on a small scale. This is the vision of the Glarus climate movement. It is campaigning for a "climate-neutral Glarus" and wants to set an example for others. How does the Glarus climate movement go about this? And what is the Glarus government's position on its ideas and visions?

Energeiaplus asked Lisa Hämmerli - one of the "founders" of the Glarus movement - and government councillor Kaspar Becker.

Energeiaplus: Kaspar Becker, you maintain a regular exchange with the representatives of the Glarus climate movement. How does that happen?

Kaspar Becker: The climate movement in Glarus is constructive and creative. I like that. It doesn't seek attention with wild demonstrations, but relies on education.

It is also clear to me that we must act now - as a canton too. Because in the canton of Glarus we are experiencing climate change at first hand. Keyword: rockfalls or debris flows.

Energeiaplus: The Glarus government is well disposed towards you. How did the climate movement manage that?

Lisa Hämmerli (laughs): It wasn't quite like that from the start. In August 2019, in the run-up to the national elections, we organised an information event to which we invited climate researcher Thomas Stocker. Following the lecture, there was a panel discussion with Glarus politicians who were candidates for the national parliament. The auditorium of the cantonal school in Glarus was full. Nobody expected that, and we were very pleased with the great response. It was an important turning point for the acceptance of our concerns.

We also invited the entire Glarus government to this event. But they turned us down.

Kaspar Becker: At that time, numerous political proposals on the subject of climate were pending before the government. These proposals would certainly have been taken up at this event. However, the official answers from the government were still pending. We therefore did not want to be instrumentalized. We did, however, offer the representatives of the climate movement the opportunity to enter into discussions on a small scale. And we have been holding these talks regularly ever since.

Energeiaplus: What distinguishes the Glarus movement from climate activists elsewhere, Lisa Hämmerli?

Lisa Hämmerli: We are a very heterogeneous, diverse movement. High school students and apprentices join in, but also retired people, engineers, entrepreneurs, employees and experts. We also do demos. But in contrast to the big cities, in Glarnerland everybody knows everybody. So on the one hand you expose yourself more, because hiding in anonymity is not possible. But it's also easier to get in touch with people and establish a constructive dialogue, regardless of party affiliation.

We seek attention with other creative actions. Last May, for example, we did a shoe demonstration. Because of Corona, a gathering of people was not indicated. Therefore we put shoes on a square as a substitute. In September, we spooned out the climate soup together on the town hall square and recently, at the onset of winter, we built a "snow woman" who silently demonstrates for climate justice in the main town.

Energeiaplus: The vision of the Glarus movement is to be the first climate-neutral canton in Switzerland. Kaspar Becker, how do you assess this perspective?

Kaspar Becker: Based on our geographic starting point, this is quite realistic for us. We have only one main traffic axis and no through traffic. The canton is manageable. Here I see opportunities for "field trials" in mobility in cooperation with the federal government. There are also various projects underway in the energy sector, such as increasing the proportion of biogas in the gas supply or for CO2 capture and storage at large CO2 emitters.

In addition: there are various examples where the canton of Glarus has proven how progressive it can be. Just think of the voting age of 16 or the reduction to three municipalities in the canton. Both of these were decided by the Landsgemeinde.

Energeiaplus: From the point of view of the climate movement, what has been the greatest success so far on the way to this goal?

Lisa Hämmerli: The canton of Glarus now has a green member of the Council of States. This shows that climate concerns have the support of the population.

We have not managed to create a cantonal climate protection office. But we have opened our own climate office, which is privately financed.

Energeiaplus: Kaspar Becker, where has the climate movement left its mark so far?

Kaspar Becker: The topic of the environment has arrived on the political agenda. But for many it is still a "nice-to-have". I'll take the example of the electricity surcharge that the municipality of Glarus introduced at the beginning of 2020. The climate movement had demanded 5 centimes per KWh, but the municipal assembly finally set the amount at 1 centime, a compromise.

Because of Corona, the amount was retroactively reduced to 0.5 centimes. I consider this a success. It would have been possible to suspend the contribution altogether for the year 2020.

But the example also illustrates that we must succeed in showing that people do not see this contribution as a fine, but as an investment in the future.

Lisa Hämmerli: Yes, that is the big challenge. The investments in climate protection have to happen today so that the effect will be felt tomorrow.

Energeiaplus: What influence did Corona have on the commitment of you and your colleagues in the Glarus climate movement?

Lisa Hämmerli: Everything has become a bit more difficult. But we were still able to realize planned projects. For example, we planted over 1,000 trees in the spring and organised a workshop in the summer with experts such as Walter Steinmann (editor's note: the former director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy) and other key people in Glarus.

Energeiaplus: What kind of reactions do you hear from the general population about the Glarus climate movement?

Kaspar Becker: I have also heard comments like: The climate youth should work first. Or also comments towards my commitment like: You have to be careful that you don't become too green. As a government councillor, however, I have learned to deal with headwinds.

Lisa Hämmerli: You hear everything from approval to contempt. We receive anonymous letters or are attacked in letters to the editor. What makes me particularly happy are phone calls from older people who say: Finally something is happening. And we have already had a generous donation in the letterbox.

Energeiaplus: Where does the climate movement want to make its mark in 2021?

Lisa Hämmerli: To win many new members! And inspire people to take action, for example, to use renewable energies. 1000 new solar roofs in the canton. That would be a step towards making Glarus, a canton of water, a canton of solar energy. We are working together with the farmers' association, for example. On many farm roofs the conditions would be favourable. We don't have high fog in winter. The foundation of an agricultural solar cooperative could help here.

Energeiaplus: How realistic is this idea for you as a member of the government?

Kaspar Becker: Energy is a key factor in climate protection, and Glarus has the potential to become a solar canton.

With the new energy law, which places an emphasis on solar installations, we could take a step forward in this respect. Actually, the law was already on the agenda for the Landsgemeinde a year ago. But because of Corona, the two Landsgemeinden in May and September were cancelled, and now we hope that it will be possible this year.

Lisa Hämmerli: This energy law is not pioneering. But it is a positive sign. You have to demand a lot to achieve what is possible and feasible and to make the canton of Glarus climate-neutral by 2030.

Kaspar Becker (laughs): Unfortunately, I can't work magic, even if I am a member of the government. In politics, the mills sometimes grind slowly. But it's not an option to stop something just because you're not 100 percent sure it will succeed. Let's try it, let's do it!

To the people:

Lisa Hämmerli is 27 years old. She studied environmental sciences at the ETH. She has been working in an environmental planning office in Ittigen near Bern since 2019.

She is a face of the Glarus climate movement, where she has been active since 2019, and co-president of the KlimaGlarus.ch association. In 2019, she stood as a candidate in the 2019 elections for the Council of States. For every vote, the climate movement has planted a tree in a protection forest in Glarus South.

Kaspar Becker is 51 years old. He has been a member of the five-member Glarus government since 2018. He heads the Department of Construction and Environment. Previously, he sat in the Landrat for five years. He has an SVP past and is now a member of the party "Die Mitte" (BDP).

Before joining the government, he was Head of Private Banking at Glarner Kantonalbank.

Boxes:

The Glarus climate movement caused a stir in 2019 with the smallest climate demo in Switzerland with about 30 participants. In October 2020, the association Klima-Glarus.ch was formed, which is now being set up. The core group, around a dozen people, meets every Friday to work on various projects.

The climate movement participates in the political process with climate-relevant agenda items at the Landsgemeinde or at municipal assemblies, for example on 29 November 2019 in Glarus for the Climate Cent.