Political positions of CIPRA

cc.alps: CIPRA Demands – Energy self-sufficient regions
Energy — Nov 03, 2010
cc.alps: CIPRA Demands – Energy self-sufficient regions
Not having to depend on energy imports: this vision holds great fascination for many regions. Self-sufficiency is “in.” There are already many very positive approaches and examples of attempts to go down this road. At the heart of all the concepts is the idea of meeting demand through regional renewable sources of energy, saving energy and using energy more efficiently. Anyone who systematically takes this approach in an attempt to create an energy self-sufficient region changes the face of their region and its structures – to the benefit of their own economy, society and the environment.
cc.alps: CIPRA Demands on Spatial Planning
Spatial development — Nov 26, 2009
cc.alps: CIPRA Demands on Spatial Planning
The Alps are different. The Alpine range is characterized by special features that need to be taken into account in spatial development and climate protection.
cc.alps: CIPRA demands on transport
Mobility & Transport — Nov 04, 2009
cc.alps: CIPRA demands on transport
Transport, in particular by car and truck, is one of the main causes of climate change. In the Alpine countries transport accounts for more than 25 percent of the release of greenhouse gases and is of special importance in the increase of these gases since 1990. A wrong development, running counter to the political objective to reduce exhaust emissions. In the Alps, the percentage of journeys made by car is higher than European average.

News on Alpine Politics

Italy to chair Alpine Convention in 2025
Alpine Politics — Jan 27, 2025
Sophie V. Mahlknecht, CIPRA International
Italy to chair Alpine Convention in 2025
Italy is preparing to chair the Alpine Convention for the period 2025-2026, while Liechtenstein and Austria will co-chair the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) in 2025. Sustainability and cross-border cooperation are the focus of both initiatives.
The battle for Alpine water
Alpine Politics — Oct 09, 2024
Michael Gams, CIPRA International
The battle for Alpine water
A revival of the hydropower boom: 70 years ago, many Alpine rivers were dammed for the benefit of power stations, while valuable high valleys were built over. Today, new requirements are threatening their ecological functions. In view of the dwindling glaciers and increasing utilisation demands, a distribution battle is looming.
Protecting Alpine biodiversity
Alpine Politics — Oct 09, 2024
Sophie V. Mahlknecht, CIPRA International
Protecting Alpine biodiversity
In September 2024, CIPRA launched two innovative Interreg projects: LiveAlpsNature and AlpsLife. These projects are helping to protect biodiversity in the Alps and meet the growing challenges posed by the climate crisis and intensive tourism.
Point of view: Let’s prioritise youth over tourism
Alpine Politics — Oct 09, 2024
Dijana Čataković
Point of view: Let’s prioritise youth over tourism
We want young people to stay on the land, but the demands of tourism, high property prices and the landscape as an object of speculation make this difficult. We talk about the fight against the climate and biodiversity crisis, all while shopping centres and business parks are being built in the countryside. Environmental protection and solutions to the housing crisis should be prioritised, as this would also be in the interests of young people, says Dijana Čataković from CIPRA Slovenia. She asks: Who else will be able to live in the Alps and afford to live there?

Point of view of CIPRA

Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics
Nature — May 11, 2022
Vanda Bonardo, CIPRA Italy
Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics
High construction costs, unused sports facilities, environmentally damaging large-scale projects: loud criticism continues to surround the staging of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina/I. We must ask whether such sporting events still have a place in the Alps, says Vanda Bonardo, President of CIPRA Italy.
Point of view: Let's finally press the reset button in tourism!
People — Feb 03, 2022
Hans Weber, CIPRA Switzerland
Point of view: Let's finally press the reset button in tourism!
Mass tourism in the Alps has collapsed due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, and the opportunities for switching to environmentally and socially just tourism have increased. But they must also be exploited, says Hans Weber, Executive Director of CIPRA Switzerland.
Point of view: Water will not tolerate resistance
Alpine Politics — Oct 06, 2021
Kaspar Schuler, CIPRA International
Point of view: Water will not tolerate resistance
Extreme weather conditions are also increasingly affecting the Alps. The climate crisis is driving this development. Can more and more dams, barriers or power stations solve the problem and at the same time satisfy the growing hunger for energy? We must work with the power of water rather than against it, says Kaspar Schuler, CIPRA’s Executive Director and co-author of CIPRA’s new position paper on hydropower.