SWITZERLAND: SWISS PROTECT GLACIER FROM EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING WITH SUMMER TEXTILE COVERING

Record ID: 208354

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: SWISS PROTECT GLACIER FROM EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING WITH SUMMER TEXTILE COVERING
  • Date: 10th May 2005
  • Summary: (EU) GURSCHEN GLACIER, ANDERMATT, SWITZERLAND (MAY 10, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. PAN FROM SWISS FLAG TO GEMSSTOCK MOUNTAIN 0.10 2. LV/SLV OF MEN FIXING MATERIAL ON RAMP (3 SHOTS) 0.28 3. LV LANDSCAPE / PEOPLE ON RAMP 0.37 4. SV PEOPLE ATTACHING MATERIAL BANDS TOGETHER ON RAMP 0.44 5. SV FRANK P. GROSS, CEO OF GEOTEXTILES COMPANY "FRITZ LANDOLT AG" WALKING ON RAMP 0.51 6. MCU (English) FRANK P. GROSS, CEO OF GEOTEXTILES COMPANY "FRITZ LANDOLT AG" SAYING: "The objective, basically, is to provide shade for the glacier and to shield it from the sun, especially during the summer, so the volume of ice remains more or less constant. As you see, this is a ramp that leads to the main skiing slopes, and it has to be rebuilt every year, and in order to reduce the cost in rebuilding it, this protection has been installed" 1.13 7. SLV OF MEN FIXING PROTECTION ON RAMP (3 SHOTS) 1.28 8. LV LANDSCAPE / RAMP COVERED SURFACE 1.40 9. SV JOURNALIST WITH MARTIN HILLER, WWF CLIMA CHANGE SPOKESMAN 1.43 10. MCU (English) MARTIN HILLER, WWF INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "I think it can probably slow down the melting a little bit, but it can't prevent it. This is not a solution. The solution is to switch to clean energy, that is what we need to do. We need to cut CO2 emissions, we need to cut that harmful pollution that we put out and that makes climate change happen" 2.02 11. LV EOLIENNE IN WORK 2.12 12. AERIAL OF GURSCHEN GLACIER 2.17 13. AERIAL WATERFALL FROM MELTING GLACIER 2.27 14. GV GURSCHEN GLACIER 2.41 15. CU STREAM IN LANDSCAPE 2.48 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th May 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GURSCHEN GLACIER, ANDERMATT, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Reuters ID: LVA66QMI2IWR7PYFX32MH7ZR4GD0
  • Story Text: Swiss protect glacier from effects of global warming
    with summer textile covering.




    In the past 15 years, the Gurschen glacier has
    sunk about 20 metres (yards). Without artificial help from
    snow and other materials it would be impossible for winter
    athletes to access the runs and off-piste areas.

    Andermatt Gotthard Sportbahnen AG is covering the
    winter sports descent ramp (3000 square metres) from the
    Gemstock top station (2,961 metres above sea level) with a
    thin protective layer of artificial textiles, including
    polyester.

    The fleece-like material, which is hard to distinguish
    with the naked eye from snow, will reflect the rays of the
    sun.

    Frank P. Gross, the CEO of geotextiles company "Fritz
    Landolt AG" said, "The objective, basically, is to provide
    shade for the glacier and to shield it from the sun,
    especially during the summer, so the volume of ice remains
    more or less constant. As you see, this is a ramp that
    leads to the main skiing slopes, and it has to be rebuilt
    every year, and in order to reduce the cost in rebuilding
    it, this protection has been installed."
    The 100,000 Swiss franc (83,000 U.S. dollars) blanket
    will protect one of the main glacier access ramps, which
    has to be rebuilt each autumn at the start of the ski
    season to cover a yawning 20-metre gap opened up by the ice
    melting.

    The Alpine glaciers -- which also exist in Austria,
    France and Italy, are losing one percent of their mass
    every year and, even supposing no acceleration in that rate -- a big
    su
    pposition -- will have all but disappeared by
    the end of the century.

    For Martin Hiller, spokesman on climate change for
    environmentalist group WWF International, who was on hand
    to witness the Alpine experiment, the move was positive,
    but offered no real answer to ice loss.

    " I think it can probably slow down the melting a
    little bit, but it can't prevent it." he said. "This is not
    a solution. The solution is to switch to clean energy, that
    is what we need to do. We need to cut CO2 emissions, we
    need to cut that harmful pollution that we put out and that
    makes climate change happen." he added. CO2 is carbon
    dioxide, said to be the principle 'greenhouse gas'.



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