News
Alpine ski resorts melting away
A quick demise looks to be on the cards for two ski resorts in the Ticino/CH. Indeed the ski station at Abondance/F did not even go into operation this season.
Conference on climate change in mountain regions
An international workshop on climate change and sustainable development in mountain regions is being held in Innsbruck/A from 7 to 9 April. The aim is to identify future research work necessary in connection with sustainable development in mountain regions.
Onto the slopes by plane
More and more low-cost airlines are flying to the Alps in winter. More than twenty of these "ski destinations" are being offered to winter air travellers. With the offer of connecting flights, air passengers are now able to travel directly to the ski slopes from Salzburg/A, Innsbruck/A, Klagenfurt/A, Zurich/CH, Friedrichshafen/D, Munich/D and, most recently, from Grenoble/F and Memmingen/D.
A network of sensors for climate forecasts
Environmental scientists and IT and communication engineers have got together as part of the Swiss Experiment Project to try and assess the impact of climate change in the Alps at the earliest possible stage.
Snow levels depend on more than just altitude
New results by the Austrian research project STRATEGE show that snow levels do not necessarily depend on altitude. In precipitation scenarios relating to climate change, researchers found that other factors such as the micro climate, relief and exposure of the locations concerned also had to be considered.
Call for a more strategic approach to mountain area development
At a meeting of the Adelboden Group held in Rome on 3 October over 60 representatives from governments, civil society and international organisations from mountain countries across the globe called for a more coherent approach to sustainable development in mountain areas.
UN Conference on Tourism and Climate Change
A three-day United Nations conference was held in Davos/CH in early October on the subject of tourism and climate change. In a joint statement the participants urged action by the tourism sector to face climate change and reduce emissions.
Negative CO2 balance in the Alpine region
The Alps have the potential to become a model region for climate protection. And yet today, on a global comparison, every inhabitant of the Alps is contributing disproportionately to the greenhouse gas emissions affecting the climate.
Tackling climate change with bare facts
Switzerland's Aletsch Glacier was recently the scene of an unusual protest action. Around 600 people gathered on the Alps's largest glacier to draw attention to the impact of climate change - by stripping off completely. The participants, who had travelled from all over Europe, were positioned on the Glacier in a variety of ways by photographers and five camera crews, and photographed from all sorts of angles.
Acqua alta alpina - Conference and trade fair on climate change
The organisers of acqua alta alpine invite politicians, experts and interested laymen and women to a conference in Salzburg/A from 24 to 30 October which focuses on climate change and its impact on the Alpine region.
Dust cover speeds up snowmelt
A new study reveals that dust blown hundreds of kilometres by the wind from erosion zones or dry regions is capable of speeding up the snowmelt in the mountains of Colorado/USA by around one month. Researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder were surprised not by the fact that the dust-covered snow cover was found to melt more quickly but by the extent to which this occurred in measurements and simulations.
An outgoing airport for the Allgäu
In the view of the project's initiators the opening of the Memmingerberg regional airport in the Allgäu/D on 28 June represents the "opportunity of the century". Bavaria subsidised the project to the tune of €7.3 m, with total investments amounting to €20 m.
International Conference: The Alps beyond Kyoto
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, is organising an international conference on energy efficiency and renewable energies in the Alpine region from 20 to 22 September.
Car-free holidays - information and offers
(24.5.2007) The homepage of the "Alpine Pearls", i.e. 21 tourist resorts in the Alps fully committed to the idea of soft mobility, is offering a new service.
New publication on Alpine Towns
In 2005 CIPRA, the International Commission on the Protection of the Alps, organised a large conference on Alpine Towns and has now published the collected findings in a conference book.
Alpine glaciers melting ever faster
The glaciers of the Alps could well disappear sooner than expected. Researchers now believe that in thirty years' time only the largest and highest glaciers will be left.
New measures for combating and managing particulate matte
Every winter, de-icing salt is scattered on the roads despite its negative impact on the environment, groundwater, infrastructure and cars. But now Klagenfurt/A has come up with an alternative: Instead of salt it is to spray calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), a de-icing agent made from calcium, magnesium and acetic acid.
1.5 tonnes of artificial fertilizer for skiing competitions?
The impact of climate change on skiing areas is the subject of the OECD study published on 13 December 2006. It concludes that if a region's average annual temperature increases by one degree, only around 500 of the 666 skiing areas in the Alps could be assured of snow.
Climate change impacts biodiversity
For a number of years now, biodiversity in Alpine ecosystems has been declining under the effect of climate change.
Climate Star 2007 - European award for climate protection activities at the local level
For the third time the Climate Alliance of European Cities with Indigenous Rainforest Peoples is inviting all European cities and municipalities to present their climate protection activities and apply for a Climate Star.
Davos on the road to Kyoto
Davos, Switzerland's highest town, is working towards a more climate-friendly local policy.
Database on experts in mountain area research
The Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) has gone online with an expert database comprising almost 5,000 entries on people in governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as private groups who are involved in research into mountain regions in general and the impact of climate change in particular.
Climate-neutral winter holidays in Arosa
In co-operation with the company ClimatePartner the holiday region of Arosa/CH is the first resort in the Alps to offer climate-neutral winter holidays.
The Alps should become a model climate region
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, is calling for an Alpine Convention (AC) action plan on climate protection. CIPRA has sent a letter to this effect to the Environment Ministers of the Alpine countries and the EU, who are meeting in Alpbach/A on 8 and 9 November for the 9th Alpine Conference.
Ice-free Alps just a matter of decades?
A new study by the Glaciology and Geomorphodynamics Research Group led by glaciologist Michael Zemp of the Department of Geography at the University of Zurich/CH provides real figures on the past, present and potential future glacier cover in the Alps.
Wengen Workshop 2006 on global climate change
An international workshop on global climate change research will take place also this year on 4 - 6 October in Wengen/CH.
New CIPRA resolution for climate protection
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, adopted a resolution on "Climate Protection and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies" at its Assembly of Delegates in Bad Hindelang/D on 18th May.
US ski resort to tackle climate change
The well-known winter sports resort of Aspen in the Rocky Mountains plans intends to cover its entire energy requirements from renewable sources by 2015, a move prompted first and foremost by the realisation that climate change poses a genuine threat to winter tourism in Aspen.
Two new publications on the subject of climate change
The Mountain Research Initiative has published two new English publications on the subject of climate change.
Alpine summit flora undergoing rapid change
As part of their study on the "Influence of Climate Change on Succession Processes and Population Dynamics of Vegetation in Alpine Environments" research teams at the universities of Hanover/D and Zurich/CH have concluded that the rate of change in the floristic composition of vegetation in the Swiss Alps is increasing all the time. According to the experts this trend is consistent with global climate change.