http://www.cipra.org daily 1 2006-09-18T18:50:03Z http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/116 The rivers of the Alps provide 170 million people with water. Climate change will greatly reduce the availability of water in the Alps and beyond, with less rain, longer dry periods in summer and greatly reduced snowfalls in winter among the predicted consequences. The demands made of this natural resource will increase accordingly, as will competition between the various user groups.<br/>Today only about 10% of the rivers and streams of the Alps can be considered ecologically intact, i.e. they are neither polluted nor over-engineered nor compromised in terms of their flow regimes. The ecological quality of waterways and related habitats therefore calls for improvement, not further impairment. We cannot permit the last rivers to become engineered structures or depleted by the excessive abstraction of water. No publisher zopemaster 2011-12-23T22:57:34Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/115 Not having to depend on energy imports: this vision holds great fascination for many regions. Self-sufficiency is "in." There are already many very positive approaches and examples of attempts to go down this road. At the heart of all the concepts is the idea of meeting demand through regional renewable sources of energy, saving energy and using energy more efficiently. Anyone who systematically takes this approach in an attempt to create an energy self-sufficient region changes the face of their region and its structures - to the benefit of their own economy, society and the environment. No publisher zopemaster 2011-09-20T21:53:57Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/114 The agricultural sector is directly affected by climate change impacts but it also contributes to the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) and rising concentrations of GHG in the atmosphere. A sustainable climate response strategy in the field of agriculture involves anticipating, planning and long-term thinking from farm level to transnational level. Prominent fields of activity are sustainable land and soil management, sustainable water management, managing manure and soil carbon as well as organic agriculture as an overall strategy. <br/>As agriculture is a highly subsidized economic sector, subvention policy can be used as a lever to guide the sector to sustainability and climate neutrality. No publisher zopemaster 2011-08-04T21:54:25Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/109 Not having to depend on energy imports: this vision holds great fascination for many regions. Self-sufficiency is “in.” There are already many very positive approaches and examples of attempts to go down this road. At the heart of all the concepts is the idea of meeting demand through regional renewable sources of energy, saving energy and using energy more efficiently. Anyone who systematically takes this approach in an attempt to create an energy self-sufficient region changes the face of their region and its structures – to the benefit of their own economy, society and the environment. No publisher zopemaster 2010-11-03T22:31:54Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/105 The Alps are different. The Alpine range is characterized by special features that need to be taken into account in spatial development and climate protection. No publisher zopemaster 2009-12-10T22:31:45Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/102 When climate changes, nature feels it. Mountain areas are particularly sensitive, and the greatest losses in terms of plant and animal species may occur precisely there. According to scientific estimates, almost every second plant species in the Alps is threatened with extinc-tion by 2100. For the flora with the highest number of varieties in Central Europe this would be an enormous loss. Because of global warming, also well-known animal species such as the Alpine ibex, the snow grouse and the mountain hare will experience far worse living con-ditions in the Alps. No publisher zopemaster 2009-11-18T08:43:09Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/101 In order to limit global warming, first of all it is important that we use energy more efficiently. Yet this will not be enough for operating in a way that climate can sustain. We must radically change our energy consumption and our consumption of energy-intensive goods and services. Experience shows that consumption only goes down when clear political signals are sent - which include legislative initiatives, rewarding energy saving and punishing waste. <br/>The switch from fossil to renewable energies must be forced - but not to the detriment of nature. Biomass production, the installation of wind power turbines and new hydroelectric power stations in the Alps hide many potential conflicts. The environmental, social and economic consequences of climate projects must be carefully assessed and compared. <br/> No publisher zopemaster 2009-11-18T08:46:39Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/103 Transport, in particular by car and truck, is one of the main causes of climate change. In the Alpine countries transport accounts for more than 25 percent of the release of greenhouse gases and is of especial importance in the increase of these gases since 1990. A wrong de-velopment, running counter to the political objective to reduce exhaust emissions. In the Alps, the percentage of journeys made by car is higher than European average. No publisher zopemaster 2009-11-18T22:27:25Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/98 "During this conference CIPRA expressed its strong expectations with regard to the outcome of the 15th Conference of the Contracting Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009.<br/>Further more, CIPRA calls upon the governments of the Alpine countries and upon those of the main industrialised countries, to show extraordinary commitment to achieve a distinct acceleration in climate change prevention policies at the global meeting in Copenhagen, in the light of new evidence and the confirmation of the seriousness of the phenomenon."<br/> No publisher zopemaster 2009-04-20T12:16:23Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/97 The International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA International) very much welcomes the fact that the EU now intends to set a course that reflects the true costs of transport and is taking a first step by amending Directive 2006/38/EC ("Eurovignette III").<br/>The Directive must also relieve the burden on the Alpine region, which is particularly sensitive ecologically and whose population has to bear particularly high external costs; it must also contribute more to sustainability in freight transport.<br/>One important step is a sound directive on transport infrastructure costs, i.e. one that includes the efficient and consistent allocation of all relevant costs. Everyone stands to benefit from its success: the population, with a healthier, safer and better quality of life, and the transport industry, with more reliable transit routes. Indeed, the risks affect the local population as much as they affect those travelling through.<br/> No publisher zopemaster 2009-01-27T23:16:53Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/90 The future belongs to those who shape it. In the Alps countless initiatives involving thousands of activists are working to do just that. Yet many are unaware of the fact that elsewhere other people are working on precisely the same problems as they are. This is where the Future in the Alps, a project launched by CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, comes into play. The scope of the project is to collect practical experience throughout the Alps, classify it and make it available to those who need it. It consists of a phase of collating knowledge and good projects, called alpKnowhow, a phase of processing and disseminating it, called alpService, and an implementation phase, called alpPerformance. <br/>CIPRA itself is not a research body, nor is it an educational institution; it is a non-governmental organisation, so it is mainly concerned with the questions of what the results of alpKnowhow mean politically and what demands can be derived from these results. To answer these questions CIPRA representatives from seven countries convened in Schaan/Liechtenstein on 8 and 9 December 2006. The demands and political conclusions on all topics are set out in the present Schaan Memorandum on the Future in the Alps. No publisher zopemaster 2007-04-12T20:04:28Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/89 The Alpine region is particularly affected by global climate changes, many of which are the result of man’s impact. The Alps are a particularly sensitive region and are affected all the more by the forecast changes such as the rise in annual average temperatures, the increase in extreme meteorological events, summer droughts and melting glaciers. It is CIPRA’s view that climate change represents one of the 21st century’s greatest challenges. Given the above it calls upon the European Union, the bodies of the Alpine Convention, all the Alpine states, the federal provinces, regions and cantons as well as all governmental and non-governmental<br/>authorities <br/>.. to intensify their climate protection efforts in order to reduce the greenhouse effect;<br/>.. to draw up sustainable strategies for dealing with the growing repercussions of climate change. No publisher zopemaster 2007-04-03T00:02:53Z CipraPosition http://www.cipra.org/en/alpmedia/positions/71 At a conference on the Role of Local Governments and Administrations in Sustainable Development held in 2005, representatives of the mountain regions of Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Carpathians, the Alps, the Altai and Mongolia adopted a resolution with recommendations aimed at managers involved in the development of mountain areas. In it they called for an exchange of positive experience between different mountain regions, education in sustainable development as a condition for active participation, and also for research and the transfer of technology and methodology. The resolution also contains concrete recommendations on decentralisation and reliable dialogue structures as a basis for sustainable development, sustainable economic development, and the role of local governance in the management of natural resources. It also underscores the importance of information and the role of women in sustainable development. Finally it sets out conditions for the effectiveness of alliances and conventions.<br/><br/> No publisher zopemaster 2007-04-03T00:02:30Z CipraPosition