News
Strange but true...
Alpine glaciers are a skiing venue in the middle of summer, they supply villages and towns with drinking water and even provide a habitat for glacier fleas.
Sustainable building from the Arctic circle to the Mediterranean
Attractive public buildings, built of wood and stone to passive house standards: this is how the schools and community centres of the future will look. With its 35 pilot buildings the MountEE project is putting sustainable building into practice in different climate zones.
The real treasure of the Alps
A Swiss energy producer is to receive a prize for finding a successful compromise between the protection and use of water: while the head of the Upper Allgäu district authority has approved the building of a small power plant in a protected area over the head of his own officials. Two examples of the tension existing between conservation and the energy transition.
Point of view: Making the Alpine Convention more interactive
The effectiveness of the Alpine Convention is often called into question. A new approach could help reposition it as an engine of co-operation and sustainable development in the Alpine regions, says Claire Simon, Executive Director of CIPRA International.
Initiating change for a good life in the Alps
What does it take to ensure a good life in the Alps? What social and political changes are necessary? Answers will be provided at the annual CIPRA Conference to be held on 25 and 26 September 2015 in Ruggell, Liechtenstein.
Young voices at the Expo
Giving a voice to mountains all over the world – this is the idea behind the theme week on mountain areas being staged at the World Expo in Milan. CIPRA is there too, with brave young people and a very special concert.
Getting the modal shift moving
Austria gives the green light for the construction of a controversial rail tunnel. At the same time, the Swiss Federal Office for Transport has published two reports that suggest that the modal shift of goods onto rail can succeed even without large infrastructure projects.
New French policy for the mountains
Thirty years ago, France passed a special law for its mountain areas. It is now undergoing a review. Here is a summary of the most significant amendments.
Ski lifts in Italy to become liable for tax
The Supreme Court in Italy has now ruled that cable cars and chair lifts do not count as public transport, meaning that municipal tax on real estate is therefore now payable. The judgment has led to uproar in ski resorts.
Strange but true...
…Are beavers really just great big clumsy rodents?
Our green lungs are running out of air
Animals and plants have to migrate in order to reproduce. That involves crossing land used by human beings. Ecological networking therefore needs the support of a variety of stakeholders. CIPRA brings them together.
New format, new content
In 2014, CIPRA Italy created a new format for work on its territory: a Development Workshop for the Alps.
How much protection for protected areas?
The Alps are a bastion of biodiversity, a function that will become even more important in the future as rising temperatures endanger the survival of many species at lower altitudes.
Sustainable transport policy for an improved quality of life
On Liechtenstein’s doorstep, in the Austrian town of Feldkirch, the planning process is currently underway for a gigantic road construction project in the form of the Feldkirch Urban Tunnel.
Working together for the future of the Alps
In terms of policymaking for the Alps, 2014 was an eventful year. The stage was set for the development of a macro-regional Alpine strategy to find transnational solutions to problems encountered throughout the Alpine space and develop innovative projects specifically targeted at the Alps, and progress was made in defining the terms of reference.
Reducing road traffic is a long distance race
We face many problems relating to excess traffic, especially in cities. It causes air pollution and noise, and hampers land use.
New models for a better life
The western economic model consumes the natural resources of three planet Earths. And it is spreading to developing countries – we are their role model.
Victory for landscape protection
The controversial application to build a wind farm on the Sattelberg near the Brenner Pass was rejected in a final appeal heard by the Italian Council of State in Rome.
Youthful ideas for “My Green Alps”
What will it take for residents of the Alps to take responsibility for their own habitat? Participants of the Youth Parliament of the Alpine Convention provided some answers at Kamnik in Slovenia.
Nominations for Alps-wide architecture prize
Switzerland and Liechtenstein, with technical and organisational support from CIPRA, will for the third time be awarding prizes to buildings in the Alps that demonstrate particular aesthetic and sustainable qualities. The jury has now nominated 32 projects for the “Constructive Alps” Architecture Prize.
Energy and nature in the Alps: a balancing act
How do we manage the balancing act between renewable energy production and nature conservation in the Alps? The final conference of the recharge.green project can provide the answers. Organised by CIPRA, it will take place from 20 to 21 May 2015 in Sonthofen, Germany.
Bus and train: new moves in the Alps-Adriatic region
Public transport between Italy, Austria and Slovenia is moving forward. The consequences remain to be seen.
Stange but true!
…everything out of the ordinary in the Alps has a label.
Point of view: The Alps: on course for sustainability
It is time to reflect on the unique values of the Alps, emphasises the President of CIPRA International, Katharina Conradin, after her first 100 days in office. Her plea is for a common goal: the Alps as a model region for sustainability.
No breathing space in the Alpine regions
As CIPRA South Tyrol has flagged up, EU limits for nitrogen oxides are being massively exceeded in the region. There is an acute need for action, both in South Tyrol and in other Alpine regions.
Chamonix is the 2015 “Alpine Town of the Year”
Located at the foot of the highest mountain in the Alps, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, the “Capital of Alpinism”, has been awarded the title of “Alpine Town of the Year 2015”, mainly in recognition of its nature and climate protection policies.
South Tyrol commits itself to the common good
The “economics of the common good” represents a growing trend, including in the Alps. South Tyrol is now putting this into practice.
Criticism of Alpine traffic policies in Brussels
Short-sighted, inadequate, inconsistent: a recently published study commissioned by the European Parliament questions the policies and projects intended to shift freight transport onto rail. Why European support for the Lyon-Turin link is crumbling and why the Swiss electorate will have the last word.
Point of view: Protecting the Alps – the responsibility of people
The diversity of the Alps is a challenge that at the same time holds great potential. It is up to the new German presidency of the Alpine Convention to put this into effect, states Federica Corrado, President of CIPRA Italy.
CIPRA presents pioneers of sustainable living
Lifestyles and economies that use fewer resources require new thinking and action that go beyond narrow limits and consumerism. This is the conclusion of the CIPRA annual conference held in Annecy, France.