THE WEIGHT OF LUGGAGE

The mountains are therefore particularly sensitive to climate change. And even though tourism cannot be held entirely responsible for global warming, it is undeniable that it produces 11% of greenhouse gas emissions in France, mainly due to transport, accommodation, and the restaurant industry.

In major tourism regions, there is up to:

• +211% in water consumption

• +287% in annual energy consumption

• +27% in waste production compared with the national average (ADEME).

According to the ORCAE, buildings (residential and tertiary) are responsible for 22.5% of CO2 emissions in the AuvergneRhône-Alpes region. In mountain resorts, 38% of residential buildings are energy intensive (Energy Efficiency Grades F and G) compared with 21% across the rest of the area.

Transportation makes up 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in the region. Train travel is still underdeveloped for accessing ski resorts. Recently, the ANMSM (France’s National Association of Mountain Resort Mayors) released a statement encouraging “the redoubling of efforts to improve access to the mountains” by adding multimodal transportation solutions to the existing railway offering to cover the last miles up to resort accommodation. The analysis is conclusive, highlighting the issue of how alpine tourism is changing. Diversification has already begun, with a rise in visitor numbers during the summer. However, the alpine economy’s dependence on “skiing” activities requires further nuance within the debate. Diversification provides synergistic solutions which will in turn attract new demographics. The rise of “new tourists,” particularly in the wake of the pandemic, offers a new perspective of the mountains – without closing the door on ski areas in the winter.

Sources

-Climate challenge annual report

-Green Cross France et Territoires (GCFT) – Research project: Analyse des effets économiques du changement climatique en station de montagne

-6th IPCC report

-ORCAE (French Regional Climate, Air and Energy Observatory)

-ONERC (French National Observatory on the Effects of Global Warming)

-The Companies for the Planet Convention – 11 businesses in the Alps, including Alpexpo, the organiser of the Mountain Planet expo.

-Booklet of good practices for the sustainable development of mountain areas

-INTERPRAEVENT, the organiser of the conference on “The occurrence, reduction, and restoration of natural disasters in alpine regions.”

-ANMSM (The French National Association of Mountain Resort Mayors)

-Emmanuelle George from IRSTEA: Director of the LESSEM (The Laboratory of Ecosystems and Societies in the Mountains)

-ANEM – Assistance for alpine regions in sustainable development and adaptation to climate change

-CIPRA – Project to control tourist flows

THE EIGHTH REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE ALPS by the Convention Alpine has observed that air quality in the Alps is generally good. Nevertheless, several valleys in the Alps are subject to excessive pollution, as seen in the Vallée de l’Arve, and particularly during the winter months. Overall, the number of particles with diameters above 2.5μm are too big, according the values put forward by the World Health Organization. However, this topic remains taboo and current actions are insufficient – exemplified by the Eurovignette road user charge, described as a “mini-measure.”