“It all started with the idea of combining mountaineering with climate activism”, explains project manager Manon Wallenberger from CIPRA International. After all, individual car journeys to and from the mountains contribute to the overexploitation of the Alps. The “Climate Caravan” project shows how mountain sports enthusiasts can organise their journeys in a climate-friendly way and plan this as part of their tours. In four days, the group covered 133 km and climbed 2,370 metres in altitude – but the experience counted for more than the sporting performance.

Alps under pressure

After a swim in Lake Constance, the group made its first stop at the GUK cinema in Feldkirch to watch the film “To the Last Drop” (de). This short documentary focuses on the expansion of the Kaunertal mega-powerplant in the Ötztal Alps, which would destroy Austria's last remaining free-flowing glacial river. Is this still in keeping with the spirit of the times when we are faced with a biodiversity crisis, the extinction of species and an impending climate catastrophe? These issues were subsequently discussed by the panellists together with the audience. The Alps are also under pressure on account of tourism, as the cyclists learned on the second day at the “PIZ Montafon - Future Laboratory for Sustainable Tourism” (de) in Schruns/A, the first tourism innovation hub in the Alpine region. Initiatives such as this aim to contribute to making tourism in mountain regions more environmentally friendly and less resource-intensive.

Experiencing the last glaciers together

After four days of cycling, the Climate Caravan met the International Glacier Caravan, organised by the Italian environmental organisation Legambiente. Guided by glacier surveyor Günther Gross, the two groups together climbed up to the Ochsental Glacier, where the retreat of the ice is a major cause for concern. “Even if we can no longer save this glacier, we can take it home with us as a symbol of human-caused climate change and our influence on ecosystems”, said one participant, summarising her impressions.

The Climate Caravan was held as part of the “Alpine Climate Camps” project. It was organised by CIPRA International, Südwind Vorarlberg and the Youth Section of the German Alpine Club in Baden-Württemberg; funded was provided by Erasmus+.

Podcast of the Climate Caravan by PURE Vorarlberg: https://pure.or.at/podcast/ (de)

Petition Kaunertal: https://stubaiwasser.at/ (de), https://www.wwf.at/was-kann-ich-tun/petitionen/petition-kaunertal/ (de)

For more information: https://vorarlberg.orf.at/stories/3223034/ (de)