Reports of missing snow in the Swiss mountains are piling up. Even the British press is worried: “Lack of snow threatens Alps with wet winter,” headlined the BBC last week.
Below 2000 meters there was almost no snow in the Swiss mountains, and then only artificial snow. It destroys the myth in our country. Switzerland without snow is like Santa Claus without his red and white cape: the magic disappears.
irreversible change
The reasons are quickly revealed: temperatures this winter are significantly higher than in recent decades. This is not just a coincidence, but corresponds to a multi-year increase in temperature in Switzerland, which has been observed for decades. Since the second half of the 19th century, it has been 2.4 degrees Celsius. That’s more than double global warming, which is now around 1.1 degrees. The temperature is rising, especially on land, and Central Europe is especially warming up. This temperature increase is mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels, i.e. oil, gas and coal, and is getting worse decade by decade as anthropogenic emissions continue to increase and accumulate in the atmosphere. Climate change is largely irreversible: excess CO2 remains in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. Even if the emissions disappear immediately, the mountains will not suddenly turn white again. Current conditions will last hundreds to thousands of years.
Worse, year after year, the citizens of this world contribute to the CO2– concentration continues to grow. And the Swiss are far from exemplary: we are in the top 20 CO2 emitters in the world.2-emissions per capita. Conclusion: The snow situation this year is much better than we can expect in the future.
The absence of white gold has implications for the economy and Switzerland’s image abroad. Zermatt had to cancel a ski race in October at the last minute due to lack of snow. The World Cup races in Adelboden this weekend were also in jeopardy. According to Time magazine, the ski tourism industry in Europe is worth $30 billion. Who will pay for the damage if in the future tourists choose to travel to the Rocky Mountains, the Andes or even the Himalayas?
a glimmer of hope in politics
Even if some deny the truth: Switzerland has been hit hard by the climate crisis. And, unfortunately, international climate policy has reached a dead end. The 2022 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh produced no results, and Switzerland cannot influence this development until it does its homework.
However, there are glimmers of hope in Swiss climate policy. First of all, the counter-proposal to the glacial initiative, which was approved by Parliament. That some politicians want to hold a referendum on this is very disappointing, but you can expect the Swiss to understand what is at stake if there is indeed a vote on this issue. Finally, several ambitious cantonal climate laws and initiatives have recently been approved in popular referenda: the Glarus Miracle, the new Zurich Energy Law and the Basel 2030 initiative, among others. Let’s hope that 2023 will be a new start for Switzerland’s climate policy, including for our mountains.