Global warming is affecting not only the polar regions, but the entire cryosphere of the planet. A conference-debate organized by the French Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, focuses on the Alps, which are also facing melting.
On September 19, a conference-debate was held on the impact of climate change on the Alps. Organized by the French Embassy in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAE) and the Swiss Polar Institute, the event was attended by some 50 people at the French residence in Bern.
And while most of the discussion focused on Alpine regions, the fact remains that the entire cryosphere is concerned. From the Antarctic icecap to the glaciers of the Greenland fjords, from the sea ice of the polar regions to permafrost zones and mountain glaciers around the world, all of our planet’s icy surfaces are feeling the full brunt of global warming. With very real and already very visible consequences, particularly at our latitudes and for the people who live there.
Hence the importance of collaboration between countries, as recalled by Madame Marion Paradas, French Ambassador to Switzerland, and Madame Alexandra Baumann, Ambassador and Head of the Prosperity and Sustainability Division of the FDFA, both recalling the joint declaration signed between France and Switzerland in November 2023. Marking a milestone in the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, the declaration concerns research into the cryosphere and alpine zones. “As the Swiss Ambassador for the Arctic, I can testify to the fact that this type of collaboration is essential beyond our borders,” says Ms Baumann. “In the Arctic and Antarctic, the effects of climate change are even more extreme, but the links with our mountain regions are obvious.”, she declares before emphasizing on the importance of reaching a wide audience, especially the youngest.
From 1930, when the first records were taken, to the present day, 60% of the ice in Switzerland has been lost, recalls Daniel Farinotti, professor and glaciologist at ETH Zurich. And ice loss is set to continue under all scenarios. Even if global warming were to stop today and the current climate were to be retained in climate models, glaciers would still lose 40%. “This means that glaciers, as they are today, are too big for today’s climate”, stresses the professor whose research focuses on glacier evolution and its implications for water resources.
Act upstream rather than as a last resort
If it’s essential to preserve the glaciers we have left, it’s equally important to protect the de-glaciated areas. This is the aim of the Ice&Life project, at the interface between academia, associations and mountain stakeholders. Launched in 2021, Ice&Life aims to protect our planet’s 210 000 glaciers and the ecosystems that follow them.
With the disappearance of glaciers, an entire landscape is profoundly altered, and this is something we don’t really talk about. Once a glacier has retreated, the uncovered area will not remain deserted. Fjords, forests and wetlands can take root once the glacier has disappeared, providing a home for an entire ecosystem. “Nature abhors emptiness”, says Jean-Baptiste Bosson, founder of the Ice&Life project, whose results have been incorporated into the French government’s national biodiversity strategy. “We play on in situ protection, and the French government listened to us. […] It’s quite revolutionary because nature protection in the world is rather conservative. Here, we’re trying to act upstream.”
Collaboration between scientists and between nations, production of knowledge to increase our understanding causes and effects, development of measures to curb the phenomenon – the task is vast and urgent, and cooperation vital, as Michael Wenger, CEO of Polar Journal AG, reminded in his concluding speech: “[…] it is essential that all the people involved talk to each other and listen to each other, that they listen carefully and pull together on the same rope. After all, nothing less than the future of the icy worlds of this Earth is at stake.”
Mirjana Binggeli, Polar Journal AG
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