Articles
20,000 climate-friendly kilometres
At the end of June 2024, 35 young people – previously unknown to each other – met in Slovenia. They were part of the Yoalin project, in which 105 (out of over 2,200 applicants) are travelling the Alps this summer in a climate-friendly way using an Interrail ticket.
Young people’s demands for a good life in the Alps
Environmental protection, car-free mobility and better work-life balance: these were the political demands of young people from Germany, France, Slovenia and Liechtenstein at the end of the CIPRA “Alpine Compass” project.
Sustainable traffic management, not lawsuits
CIPRA representatives along the transport axis over the Brenner Pass are calling for sustainable traffic management instead of populist grievances. Now Switzerland is facing a renewed increase in traffic.
Healthy Alps, healthy people
What risks and side effects does the climate crisis have for our health? How can we best treat the symptoms? These are the questions explored in AlpsInsight no. 111, published in June 2024.
Green light for Nature Restoration in the EU
The majority of EU environment ministers voted in favour of the Nature Restoration Law on 17 June 2024. The decisive factor was the courageous and foresighted last-minute approval by Austria's Environment Minister.
Via Alpina reborn with a new look
Good news for long-distance hikers: the new Via Alpina website is now online, making it easier and more fun to plan hiking trips through the Alps.
The final glacier melt
Glaciers have been suffering from the consequences of climate change for years, but the latest figures from the Alpine countries are nevertheless alarming: measurements from 2022-23 show that the glaciers in the Alps shrank by more than ever before. A researcher from the Austrian Alpine Association describes the situation as “miserable as hell”.
Excessive consumption of resources
The Alpine countries are living at the expense of future generations: if everyone lived like those living in the Alpine region, the available resources for this year would be used up by May 2024.
Toxic chemicals - even in ski resorts
Anoraks, climbing ropes, ski wax: many outdoor products contain persistent chemicals (PFAS). A recent study shows their worldwide distribution, with ski resorts in the Alps particularly affected.
New Alpine reservoirs to combat water shortages
Frequent droughts, thirsty agriculture: Italy is discussing the construction of additional reservoirs to supply drinking water and energy. More ecologically sound solutions are in danger of falling by the wayside.
New network promotes climate protection in Southeast Europe
Exchanging knowledge on climate protection in Southeast Europe, networking and learning to understand each other better: these were the aims of the Climate Bridges project of CIPRA International Lab, which has now been completed.
Point of view: European elections 2024: why a Swiss citizen would also like to vote
Switzerland’s referendum-based democracy has pitfalls of its own when it comes to environmental and climate policy. There needs to be an overarching corrective, such as neighbouring countries have in their constitutional courts and through the legal institutions of the EU, says Kaspar Schuler – as a Swiss citizen and Executive Director of CIPRA International.
Climate protection becomes a human right
A legal milestone for climate protection: on 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Switzerland is violating the human rights of older women because the country is not doing what is necessary to combat global warming.
The next unused bobsleigh run
The controversial Olympic bobsleigh run in Cortina is being built after all. Despite organisational concerns, Italy’s Infrastructure Minister, Matteo Salvini, has pushed construction through.
Guiding visitors, preserving the natural experience
From artificial intelligence and the last kilometre to carrying capacity limits and nudging: the speciAlps podcast series and a webinar delve deeper into the topic of visitor guidance for a wide audience.
Gigaliners: a danger to people and nature
Trucks weighing up to 60 tonnes and 25 metres long: the European Parliament’s Transport Committee voted in favour of so-called gigaliners in mid-February 2024 – despite the serious concerns expressed by CIPRA.
The Youth Parliament to the Alpine Convention campaigns for Alpine protected areas
A limited number of entrance tickets for protected areas, the designation of infrastructure-free zones and an excursion to protected areas anchored in the curriculum: the 18th Youth Parliament to the Alpine Convention (YPAC) focused on Alpine nature reserves. For the first time, there was also an exchange with the CIPRA Youth Council.
Challenges for alpine agriculture
Loss of biodiversity, climate change, migration: just some of the problems affecting the Alpine region. The concept of agroecology offers sustainable solutions - but we have to implement them together.
The urban exodus and the climate
Many mountain regions in the Alps are affected by out-migration. However, climate change is also causing some people to migrate – at least temporarily – from the cities to the mountains, as an Italian research project shows.
The role of forests in climate change
What role will forests play in the future in the face of climate change? At the end of 2023, CIPRA Slovenia co-organized a meeting of various interest groups on this topic. Experts agreed on the need to designate more areas where forests are left unmanaged.
Natural diversity through stones
What do the large woolly bee, the protected fire-bellied toad, the busy ant and the white stonecrop have in common? They all feel right at home in and around cairns, which CIPRA’s “StoneRich” project is creating in seven pilot regions.
UNESCO recognizes Alpine season as cultural heritage
In December 2023, UNESCO added the “Alpine season” to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Known for centuries in Switzerland and neighbouring countries, the Alpine season remains alive and well thanks to its many different forms.
Point of view: Mountains for everyone? Not a chance!
Access to the mountains and mountain sports is often unfair, exclusive, segregating and discriminatory. Henriette Adolf, Deputy Executive Director of CIPRA Germany, argues in favour of equal participation in mountain sports.
Extreme weather at a glance across the Alps
At the end of November, a new Alpine-wide research centre presented itself to the public at the Schneefernerhaus, the German environmental research station below the Zugspitze peak: the “TUM Alpha – Centre for Alpine Hazards and Risks” will coordinate, on an international basis, the prediction of extreme climate events in the mountains.
2030 Winter Olympics in Nice
Switzerland’s idea of decentralised, sustainable games has been rejected by the IOC. Instead, the French Mediterranean city of Nice is very likely to be awarded the contract.
Nudging in Alpine tourism
How can visitors to sensitive natural areas in the Alps be encouraged to behave responsibly without either prohibitions or financial incentives? The role of behavioural psychology in this field was discussed by some 150 participants in the webinar entitled “Nudging in Alpine Tourism”, held in September 2023.
Revitalising mountain regions
Trial living in villages, creating meeting spaces, revitalising wastelands: how new ideas can help to get people excited about living in the Alps again.
Flooded mountains
Drought, flooded villages, landslides and landslips: these have all happened in the Alps, but the climate crisis is making natural disasters more likely and preparations for emergencies all the more important. An Alpine-wide research project is therefore investigating the climate resilience of biosphere reserves.
International Glacier Caravan
Six stages through three Alpine countries: this year’s international campaign by the Italian environmental organisation Legambiente, with the participation of CIPRA, condemned the retreat of the glaciers and thus raised awareness of climate change.
Too much, too loud, too crowded
From the tunnel blockade in Hallstatt/A to the protest rally on the Sella Pass/I: civil society is protesting against overtourism in the Alpine regions – and demanding relief for people and the environment.