Battle of the Alps? Water woes loom amid climate change
Bountiful for centuries, the crystal-clear waters issuing from the Alps could become increasingly contested as climate change and glacier melt affect the lives of tens of millions in the coming years: Italy wants them for crop irrigation
BRIG, Switzerland (AP) — A battle is brewing around Europe's rooftop over the planet's most precious resource.
Bountiful for centuries, the crystal-clear waters issuing from the Alps could become increasingly contested as climate change and glacier melt affect the lives of tens of millions in the coming years: Italy wants them for crop irrigation in the spring and summer. Swiss authorities want to hold up flows to ensure their hydroelectric plants can rev up when needed.
For the first time in four years, after a pandemic lull, government envoys from eight Alpine countries — big, small and tiny — are meeting in Brig, southern Switzerland, under a grouping known as the Alpine Convention, set up 30 years ago to help coordinate life, leisure and the limited resources from Europe's most celebrated peaks.
The countries, ranging from pint-sized principality Monaco and small Slovenia to powerhouses like France, Germany and Italy, have focused much attention on what's known as the “Simplon Alliance.” Named after an Alpine pass between Italy and Switzerland, it aims to make transportation more eco-friendly, including by favoring rail over roads, and public transport over private cars in the mountains.
