News
Knowledge in a compact and understandable form
Cool heads and well considered strategies are required in these times of heated debate about climate measures.
Melting glaciers on your local mountain - what now?
On 24th and 25th September 2009 cc.alps is organising an international conference on the impact of melting glaciers on communities in collaboration with CIPRA Switzerland and the Swiss Foundation for Landscape Preservation in Crans Montana/CH.
II. Report on the State of the Alps feels the pulse of the Alpine watercourses
The Standing Secretariat of the Alpine Convention and an international group of experts under the joint chairmanship of Austria and Germany have compiled the 2nd Report on the State of the Alps focusing on "Water and Water Management Issues".
New publications on transport in the Alpine area
Three publications on the outcomes of the latest study initiatives on transport in mountain regions have been recently published by the European Academy EURAC in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of the Environment.
Alpine region carbon-neutral by 2050
At the 10th Alpine Conference in Evian/F in March 2009 a climate action plan was adopted, which set itself the goal of making the Alpine region a model for prevention and adjustment to climate change.
400 European municipalities committed to climate change issues
400 European towns, cities and municipalities have signed the Covenant of Mayors.
"RiskPlan" facilitates risk management
The "RiskPlan" analysis software was developed by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Protection (FOCP) and presented as part of the AdaptAlp Project (Adaptation to Climate Change in the Alpine Space).
Results of the Workshop on Global Change Research in Mountainous Regions
A workshop on the global (climate) change and its impact on mountainous regions was held at the University of California Berkeley/US on 14 December 2008.
Alpine glaciers melting the fastest
Data from the World Glacier Monitoring Service for 2007 once again underscores what everyone has feared: the world's glaciers are continuing to melt at an alarming rate.
"Cool heads in the hothouse! - Acting with Awareness in the Face of Climate Change"
On 2 and 3 April 2009 the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) and the municipality of Bolzano/I is organising an international conference entitled "Cool Heads in the Hothouse! - Acting with Awareness in the Face of Climate Change".
Even high-elevation Himalayan glaciers are melting
Glacier studies by an international team led by Natalie Kehrwald of Ohio State University show that even high-elevation glaciers are suffering from the effect of climate change.
Projects on transnational networking in the area of natural hazards
AdaptAlp, a recently launched EU project, looks at climate response measures and the evaluation of natural hazards. The work on strategies and proposed solutions aimed at coping with the impact of climate change is to provide the basis for more intensive international co-operation in natural hazard management.
A scientific insight into mountain regions and cultures worldwide
In the October issue of its IHDP Update magazine the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) looks at mountain regions worldwide.
Is climate change drying up the Alps?
The Alpine range will continue to fulfil its role as central Europe's water tower in the future. But not without restrictions, according to the forecasts of a current study by a group of 20 experts commissioned by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
€100,000 for exemplary climate protection in the Alps
At a ceremony held in Bern/CH on 6 November, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) awarded prizes for outstanding climate protection to seven municipalities, businesses and organisations, the winners of its cc.alps competition held across the Alps. Weather expert Thomas Bucheli and CIPRA President Dominik Siegrist presented the prizes worth a total of €100,000.
ECONNECT: Nature without limits
The kick-off for the EU project "ECONNECT - Restoring the web of life" took place in Vienna/A on 4 and 5 November. Over the next three years sixteen partners and four observers from all the Alpine States will be working to implement an ecological network across state borders and the confines of protected areas.
New hypothesis on deep erosion in high mountain regions
Researchers in the south-east of the Tibetan plateau have found that the moraine dams created during glacier fluctuations have over the millennia helped to slow down the erosion effect of large rivers known as downcutting.
Rhône Glacier to melt away by 2100
Scientists at the Écoles Polytechniques Fédérales de Lausanne/CH and Zurich/CH have used complex computer simulations to predict that the Rhône Glacier in the Canton of Valais/CH will have disappeared by 2100.
EU measures on climate change
When the time comes for the new European Commission to take office in 2009, it is possible that the EU will appoint a Commissioner for Climate Change, according to the environmental news service ENDS Europe Daily.
Water resources under threat in the Himalayas
Climate change is threatening the water reserves of East Asia. An estimated 50 percent of the water from the Himalayas comes from glaciers, permafrost zones and the snowmelt.
Biodiversity and climate change as subjects for transnational co-operation
The Alpine Space Programme established in the framework of the INTERREG IVB European Community Initiative Programme is being used to fund a dozen new projects.
EU: Legally enforceable right to clean air
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that citizens have a legally enforceable right to clean air. Individuals affected by high concentrations of particulate matter can now call on the courts throughout the EU to ensure that effective measures are taken to improve the quality of the air.
2009 Alpine Town of the Year award for Bolzano
On 9 June Bolzano/I was officially declared the 2009 Alpine Town of the Year. The decision was taken in recognition of the South Tyrolean town's contribution to climate protection and a sustainable planning policy designed to provide a good quality of life for residents and an attractive destination for visitors.
The Climate in the Alps is much prized - CIPRA Competition cc.alps: win prizes worth up to €20,000 each
Prizes worth a total of €100,000 await the best measures aimed at a sustainable approach to the consequences of climate change in the Alpine region. CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, has just launched this competition as part of its cc.alps Project.
Citizens' Agora on the topic of climate change
On 12 and 13 June the European Parliament is inviting European civil society to the second citizens' Agora to express its views on the topic of climate change, submit analyses and proposals, and also define its role in future action.
Energy supplies at risk from shrinking glaciers
The shrinkage of the Mer de Glace in the French Alps is having a tangible impact on the use of hydropower.
Stable glaciers in Central Asia
Global warming is not causing all the world's glaciers to melt at the same rate.
ClimChAlp Project completed
The final conference in Laufen/D on 12 March 2008 marked the end of the Interreg IIIB Alpine Space Project "ClimChAlp" (Climate Change, Impacts and Adaptation Strategies in the Alpine Space).
The Alps as a Model Climate Region: cc.alps shows how it's done
Climate change is affecting the Alps more than other regions of Europe. That's why in many areas measures are now being adopted and prepared to reduce, or adapt to, climate change. CIPRA's new project "cc.alps" is designed to help ensure that these climate response measures are in keeping with the principle of sustainable development as far as possible.
Climate protection: are we doing the right thing?
Future in the Alps was a success! But CIPRA is moving on and, with fresh energy and new competence, is this time addressing one very important and equally complex topic. The climate is changing.