Overview

• The climate referendum passed with 53.1% yes (303,422 votes) on 43.7% turnout, meeting the 20% quorum that makes the law binding.
• The measure requires climate neutrality by 2040 with annual CO2 caps, monitoring and corrective programs, plus guardrails to keep housing measures socially fair.
• Mayor Peter Tschentscher and Deputy Mayor Katharina Fegebank said the climate plan will be updated during the transition, with a linear reduction path starting in 2026 and the first compliance check expected in late 2027.
• City-commissioned analyses say meeting 2040 would entail replacing oil and gas boilers and winding down the gas network, accelerating building retrofits, adopting citywide 30 km/h, and switching industry to hydrogen and e-fuels.
• A separate proposal for a state-funded universal basic-income pilot was rejected, as business groups and most major parties opposed the climate initiative while a broad civil-society coalition backed it.