Report
Alpine Ecosystems
Alpine ecosystems are in grave danger. Due to global warming, glaciers are melting, compromising the health of the planet. Glaciers not only ensure the water cycle, they also reflect a large amount of solar radiation, helping to maintain a temperature range that allows life on Earth to develop. Alpine areas are home to hundreds of animal and plant species that are threatened with extinction due to the speed of change. Among plants, the most endangered species are the stone pine and the red rhododendron; while among animals we find the ibex, the Erebia Christi - also known as the glacier butterfly - the partridge, the ermine and many others⁴. The effects and repercussions of this extinction on the planet and on humans are hard to imagine.
■ In the background an ibex in the Gran Paradiso park, among the endangered species facing extinction. Photo by Annette Keys.
Causes
Every year an average of 54 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere⁵. This abnormal amount of CO2, accounting for 26%⁶ of all greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the main causes of rising global temperatures.
Consequences
The known effects of this massive melting, which will lead to the irreversible disappearance of more than 6200 glaciers by 2050 and 50% of the UNESCO World Heritage glaciers by 2100⁷, are: long periods of drought, further rise in global temperatures, hydrogeological disruption due to unstable glacial moraines, rise in ocean levels, extinction of animal and plant species, spread of bacteria trapped in permafrost.
Projects
We are in the process of evaluating projects for the preservation of Alpine ecosystems.
Solutions
Solutions are few and complex. We need to lower emissions now! The situation is drastic: the fate of 1/3 of the glaciers classified as UNESCO heritage sites is now irreversibly sealed⁷. Cover sheets have been placed on some glaciers to slow down the thaw, but this is a palliative that does not solve the problem and only serves to stall the search for solutions.
¹ Science.org - Global Glacier Change in the 21St century
² ETH Zurich - A Historical perspective on glacial retreat
³ Frontiers - The Consequences of Glacier Retreat Are Uneven Between Plant Species
⁴ Frontiers - The Consequences of Glacier Retreat Are Uneven Between Plant Species
⁵ Earth System Science Data - Indicators of Global Climate Change 2022
⁶ National Geographic - Il Riscaldamento Globale
⁷ Unesco - Worl Heritage Glaciers: sentinels of Climate change