Climate change in the European Alps : adapting winter tourism and natural hazards management

This report assesses the implications of climate change on winter tourism and natural hazards management in the European Alps, with a particular focus on how these activities can adapt to climate change. The report presents the first systematic cross-country analysis of the effects of climate change on snow-reliability in the European Alps. It also examines the implications of climate change for a range of natural hazards prevalent in the Alps, with a particular focus on frameworks and financial mechanisms to manage natural hazards in three countries: France, Switzerland and Austria. Technological and behavioural adaptation measures, together with institutional structures and risk transfer mechanisms, are also reviewed. This Report Presents The First Systematic Cross-country Analysis Of The Effects Of Climate Change On Snow-reliability In The European Alps. Following Some Of The Warmest Years On Record In The Last 500 Years, Climate Model Projections Show Even Greater Changes In The Region In Coming Decades. Less Snow At Low Altitudes And Receding Glaciers And Melting Permafrost Higher Up Will Have A Significant Impact On Snow Tourism Activities, And On The Management Of Natural Hazards. The Implications Of The Assessment Extend Beyond The European Alps To Other Mountain Systems Which May Face Similar Climate And Contextual Challenges, For Example In North America, Australia And New Zealand. This report presents the first systematic cross-country analysis of the effects of climate change on snow-reliability in the European Alps. Following some of the warmest years on record in the last 500 years, climate model projections show even greater changes in the region in coming decades. Less snow at low altitudes and receding glaciers and melting permafrost higher up will have a significant impact on snow tourism activities, and on the management of natural hazards.--Publisher's description