The energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East has highlighted the extent to which Switzerland continues to rely on oil and natural gas. Here are answers to key questions concerning Swiss dependence on fossil fuels. The conflict in the Middle East created “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”, according to the International Energy Agency. About 20% of the world’s crude oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Its blockade has had global repercussions: higher energy prices, slower economic growth and renewed geopolitical tensions. The war in Iran clearly shows that dependence on fossil fuels is harmful because centralised energy systems are vulnerable, argues a group of Swiss NGOs working on climate and environmental protection, including the Swiss Energy Foundation (SES). At the end of April, they called on the federal authorities to rapidly abandon oil and natural gas. Switzerland, while widely regarded as …