Magazine summer 2022

HOW A VALLEY WANTS TO PROTECT ITS GLACIERS
The Alps are warming twice as fast as the rest of the
world due to climate change. The consequences
have long been felt in the Saas Valley. This is precisely
why the region has become a pioneer in climate
protection.
Text: Patrick Gasser
Images: Puzzle Meida / @swiss_voyage
The Alpine region has warmed twice as much as the global
average since the late 19th century. The temperature
increase from the beginning of the industrial age to
the beginning of the 21st century was 2 degrees Celsius. The
fact that it has become noticeably warmer in the glacier world
of the Saas Valley is particularly apparent to people who have
been travelling through the mountains for decades. Dominik
Gnos, a mountain guide for 50 years, says: ‘Today, some summit
tours are done in summer in a shirt. In the past, you always
needed a jacket.’
It is tempting to think that fewer clothes will be the
norm on the summit tour. But warming brings a multitude of
challenges, especially for a high alpine region like the Saas
Valley: Swiss glaciers have lost around ten per cent of their
mass in the past five years alone. Where the ice disappears,
the rock destabilises. Routes that the mountain guides have
walked for years are suddenly no longer passable.
An important water reservoir:
Swiss glaciers store 57 trillion litres of drinking water.
Glaciers as water reservoirs
Warming is also associated with problems for buildings at
altitude. Where the permafrost – a kind of icy glue – thaws
due to the higher temperatures, the rock crumbles or water
begins to flow. In summer 2021, the Saas Valley mountain lift
operator, therefore, extensively renovated the access tunnel
to the Metro Alpin at a total cost of CHF 4.5 million.
The Swiss glaciers are also a huge reservoir of
drinking water. In total, they store 57 trillion litres of water.
That is more than the volume of Lake Constance and
Lake Thun combined. Nowhere else are you as close
to this impressive glacier world as in the holiday region
Saas-Fee/Saastal. This also means that you are always walking
in the footsteps of climate change.
Always car-free
As the consequences of global warming are particularly noticeable
here, a lot is being done in the Saas Valley to enable
future generations to enjoy a view of these ice giants
as well. Thus, as early as the beginning of the 1950s, the decision
was made in Saas-Fee to remain car-free. George Michael’s
jeep ride for the shoot of the music video for the Christmas
hit ‘Last Christmas’ was an exception to the rule. Since 2002,
Saas-Fee has also carried the label ‘Energy City GOLD’. This
certificate is awarded to cities and municipalities that continuously
promote the efficient use of energy, climate protection
and environmentally friendly mobility. Municipalities with the
Energy City label also promote environmentally compatible
mobility. Only electric cars get to operate in Saas-Fee. There
are only a few exceptions: for example, for the village doctor,
ambulance vehicles or the police.
With its energy and climate mission statement, Saas-
Fee has set itself lofty goals for the future. For example,
total energy consumption is to be reduced by 70 per cent in
stages by 2050. In the same period, the share of renewable
energy sources is to be increased to 100 per cent. This is to
be done primarily through building renovation and by promoting
solar accumulation zones. The potential for solar energy
in sunny Saas-Fee is an impressive 13.73 gigawatt hours per
year. Through all these measures, the hope remains that key
climate goals will be achieved. The vision is to reduce emissions
of the harmful greenhouse gas CO2 to one tonne per
inhabitant per year by 2050.
District heating heats indoor swimming pool
A district heating network has already been in operation in
Saas-Fee since 2015. This consists of an air/heat pump combined
with an underground storage tank. In summer, the pump
is fed by solar energy and the heat thus gained from the ambient
air is stored seasonally in the underground storage tank.
In winter, this heat can be fed into the district heating network.
The Aqua Allalin youth hostel, for example, benefits from this
process. It is supplied with district heating.
And so, in the holiday destination of Saas-Fee/Saastal,
the high alpine hiking and climbing tours are not the only
challenges. A lot is also being done to ensure that future generations
will also be able to marvel at the uniquely blue ice of
these glacier giants in the region.
The Alps are warming twice as much as the global average.
There are many other
sustainable projects going on in the Saas Valley.
saas-fee.ch/nachhaltigkeit
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