“Hard but fair” with Reinhold Messner: “We can learn to do without in Germany” | EUROtoday

DClimate change threatens the ski areas, science and the discussants agree on this in “tough but fair”. But how ought to we react to the decline in snow? Are synthetic snow and no-skiing zones the answer? Does mass tourism nonetheless have a future in occasions of local weather disaster? Moderator Louis Klamroth requested his friends: “Mountains without snow: Is Alpine tourism still okay?”

Since the brand new program idea, the discussants have sat reverse one another at tables. On one facet there have been mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner, the Bavarian Tourism State Secretary Michaela Kaniber (CDU) and Florian Stern, managing director of the Skiclub-Oberstdorf- Veranstaltungs-GmbH. On the opposite facet sat Martina von Münchhausen, WWF knowledgeable for sustainable tourism, the Bavarian state parliament member Katharina Schulze (Greens) and the Austrian activist Anja Windl from the “Last Generation”.

“Skiing will not go under and Alpine tourism must remain”

An interview between moderator Klamroth and the previous ski racer Felix Neureuther was proven in a video contribution. On a ski soar in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Neureuther frightened about the way forward for the snow areas. “I think we have reached a time in which we have to think a lot about whether mass tourism is still sustainable,” mentioned the 39-year-old. Today, extra folks than ever earlier than are going to the mountains to ski. And though ski holidays have gotten increasingly costly, “so many people can still afford it today.”

The resolution can be higher infrastructure in order that there can be fewer “metal avalanches” (i.e. automobiles), mentioned Neureuther. He is afraid that in a couple of many years his youngsters will say: “Dad, why haven’t you done enough to protect the Alps?”

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However, Reinhold Messner wasn't frightened concerning the finish of his snowboarding vacation. Skiing is not going to go below and tourism within the Alps should stay, mentioned the skilled mountaineer within the studio. The Alps are additionally a leisure space and the roughly 16 million inhabitants there want tourism to stay.

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“Climate is change and change, that needs to be made clear,” he mentioned. Nevertheless, man-made local weather change has been the most important downside since industrialization. The modifications within the glaciers can solely be seen within the final 30 years, and the lack of permafrost (“frozen clay that holds the mountains together”) may also be noticed.

Snow cannons are already being utilized in many snow areas to create good circumstances for snowboarding. For Florian Stern, that is the precise path if snow sports activities are to proceed to be attainable. “We need technical measures, but these are issues that cannot be demonized as much as is often believed,” he mentioned.

Katharina Schulze and Martina von Münchausen noticed it in another way. “Snow cannons are not a savior,” countered Schulze. On the one hand, it isn’t economically viable to artificially make snow on the slopes with snow cannons. In addition, low temperatures are wanted, that are now not at all times the case as a result of local weather disaster.

“Then we would have saved so much and then we could all go skiing a lot.”

However, fewer snowy areas are the longer term, predicted WWF knowledgeable von Münchhausen. “The forecast is that the areas will collapse,” she mentioned, citing scientific research. The technical effort and useful resource consumption can even enhance. There is already a water scarcity, which might turn into even worse with the snow cannons, and they’d additionally require a whole lot of electrical energy.

“I think it’s unrealistic to make artificial snow on everything,” countered CDU politician Kaniber. “It’s the mixture that counts.” She defends herself in opposition to the “green German white vests” that demand bans. “You can't control things with a ban.” People would nonetheless need to ski after which head for locations in Switzerland, Italy or “at worst, Canada”.

“We need openness to technology,” mentioned the Bavarian State Secretary. Kaniber mentioned the answer can be extra digitalization and assist from synthetic intelligence. In this fashion, customer flows may very well be directed by displaying free parking areas with a purpose to obtain a greater distribution throughout the ski areas.

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For the Austrian activist of the final era, Anja Windl, synthetic snowmaking is making a supposed “ideal world” as an alternative of actually tackling the issues of the local weather disaster. “I'm so incredibly grumpy when I look at who is actually responsible for the situation we find ourselves in. And that is simply the oil, gas and coal lobby.” Mountain peaks that fall off and avalanches that overwhelm complete villages are the consequence.

“We can learn to do without in Europe and especially in Germany,” really useful Reinhold Messner as a part of the answer. “If we all give up what we don’t need, then we don’t have to stick to the streets. Then we have achieved a lot,” he mentioned with a wave to activist Windl.

The “Last Generation” had been protesting in opposition to local weather coverage and climate-damaging conduct for months with street blockades and sticking to streets. Messner thought that giving up a 3rd of what we devour can be “no problem” – and added with a smile that Germany would then have “just a budget problem” as a result of lack of income from the reusable tax.

“We all want to do something,” mentioned Florian Stern. However, bans and renunciations are tough, in order that they should be steered. His suggestion: “For example, we could eliminate the tax advantages for aviation fuel and finally implement a speed limit on motorways. Then we would have saved so much and then we could all go skiing a lot.”