Storms with heavy rain and flooding could cause problems in Alpine valleys. The Alpine Club is already abandoning huts and paths.
Bregenz – The Climate change is showing its effects: Austria has been hit by severe storms several times in the recent past. The effects were devastating: a mudslide hit a major federal highway in Tyrol, which led to diversions for holidaymakers. The popular ski resort of St. Anton was hit by a mudslide. An expert warns that such destruction could occur more frequently in the future. According to his forecast, some valleys could have to be abandoned by the end of the century.
“Destroyed more often than they can be rebuilt”: Expert makes gloomy forecast for valleys in the Austrian Alps
Climate policy expert Reinhard Steurer said in an interview with oRf: “How many times can the infrastructure (…) be rebuilt and is it even worth it after the tenth landslide that has occurred?” He assumes that sparsely populated valleys in particular could soon decide to abandon the area. “My prediction: exposed alpine valleys such as the Kleine and Große Walsertal will have to be partially abandoned by the end of the century (especially in the rear area). The infrastructure there will be destroyed more often than it can be rebuilt.”
It is scientifically proven that extreme weather events will continue to increase in the future. The reason for this is man-made climate change. “The climate changes observed so far in Germany are already leading to an increase in extreme weather events, which pose major challenges for parts of our society,” says the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection on its website. In Germany, the main consequences are extreme heat, storms, heavy rainfall and the associated flooding.
In the early stages: Valleys in the Alps are in danger – Billions in damage already
In mountainous regions such as Vorarlberg, this increases the risk of landslides. “It is physics that extreme weather events, heavy rain events and mudslides will increase,” emphasises Steurer. According to the expert, we are still in the early stages. But the Alpine Association is already giving up huts and paths because it is no longer profitable to repair them after storms.
According to the Knowledge platform Earth and Environment (Earth System Knowledge Platform, ESKP for short), the economic damage from landslides amounts to billions. The estimated economic damage in Europe is at least 4.7 billion euros per year. According to Steurer, the situation could become even worse if valleys are affected by landslides and rockfalls due to melting permafrost. Currently, only the higher elevations in the Western Alps are affected. But Problems can arise in Germany. (nr/dd)
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