Sustainable Mountain Development in North America from Rio 1992 to Rio 2012 and Beyond
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Regional Report Sustainable Mountain Development in North America From Rio 1992 to Rio 2012 and beyond 2012 Cover photo: Maroon Lake (USA), courtesy of David Hiser, Photographers Aspen ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In late October 2011, the Aspen International Mountain Foundation and the Telluride Institute learned that no one was preparing a report on North America’s mountains for the Rio+20 Summit. We knew then that we could not meet the November 2011 deadline to submit a comprehensive report, but we decided to try to pull together a sufficient amount of information that could serve as a placeholder for North America. Our goal was to produce a report by early January 2012. As a result of posting a data call on the Mountain Forum Listserv and writing dozens of emails, we received numerous responses to our request for information, despite the extremely short deadline requested. We want to thank all of our contributors, without whom there would be no North American report. A special thanks goes to Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev and his political science students at Utah Valley University who drafted the mountain range descriptions found in the Appendix to the report. Finally, we owe our deepest thanks and appreciation to Dr. Jane Pratt, whose advice and encouragement gave us the courage to undertake what, we thought, was an impossible task. Contributors Baktybek Abdrisaev, Ph.D. Maria Gunnoe David Orr, Ph.D. Steve Berwick, Ph.D. Toby Harper Scott Powell Robert Blair Alison Hill Jane Pratt, Ph.D. William Bowman, Ph.D. Stella Joy Mary Riddle Gillian Bowser, Ph.D. Burt Lauderdale Regina Rochefort, Ph.D. Mark Brown, Ph.D. John Leonard Auden Schendler Ashley Cantrell Peter McBride Christina Tague, Ph.D. Joni Cooper Lauren Mc Donell Utah Valley University Hume Davenport Laurence A.G. Moss Western Mountain Initiative Carmen Ghanim Koren Nydick, Ph.D. John Weiner, Ph.D. ii SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT NORTH AMERICAN REPORT Principal Researcher: Rebecca J. Wallace Rebecca J. Wallace Karinjo DeVore Aspen International Mountain Foundation Pamela Lifton-Zoline John Lifton-Zoline The Telluride Institute A REPORT SUBMITTED FOR RIO+20 January 2012 Formally organized in 2001 in the heart of the Telluride Institute was founded 28 years ago Rocky Mountains, the Aspen International to create strong local environmental and Mountain Foundation (AIMF) evolved from cultural activities. Our programs demonstrate a decade of working collaboratively with innovative and practical methods for building the United Nations’ Environment Program, and sustaining healthy communities and the City of Aspen, the Aspen Institute, environments. Rocky Mountain News called Aspen Sister Cities, and other public and us “the World’s highest altitude think tank”, private organizations that produced a series and others have called us a “think-and-do- of international conferences focusing on tank” because of the practical, hands-on, issues facing mountain communities. A results-oriented nature of our programs. Colorado nonprofit corporation, 501(c)3, We work both locally and globally to meet AIMF is dedicated to promoting sustainable Wallace Stegner’s challenge to Westerners development in the world’s mountain to “build a society to match the scenery”. communities. iii Sustainable Mountain Development SUMMARY OF REPORT RIO 2012 and beyond Why mountains matter for North America by new infrastructure such as reservoirs, roads, and fences, such development has focused on the valleys and foothills that provide key winter habitat or movement corridors for seasonal migrations of native fauna and can be barriers to essential seasonal movements. One effect of such frag- mentation includes loss of fauna fitness due to isolation North America’s mountains are a primary source and inbreeding. of fresh water. Other natural resources, such as coal and natural gas, are pillars of North American Mining is an important economic driver in North America’s energy economies. The recreation and tourism in- mountains; however, its impacts often are profound. dustry – the lifeblood of many mountain commu- Mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in the Appala- nities – contributes significant revenues for state chian Mountains in the United States can involve remov- ing 200 meters or more of a mountain summit to get at and province budgets. And for many, mountains buried seams of coal and dumping the remaining earth provide solace and a spiritual connection, and are into neighboring valleys. Mining also poses other threats treasured as places to experience the wonders of to mountain environments. Most extraction processes use nature. But a warming climate, human encroach- toxic chemicals (cyanide, arsenic) that create poisonous ment, and some business practices present severe run-off. Tailing ponds try to contain the toxins, but have challenges to these fragile ecosystems. been notorious in their frequent failures over time, causing serious downstream damage to land, water, and people. How current trends threaten sustainable moun- tain development in North America The North American West is heating up even more than the world as a whole. From 2003 to 2007, global temperatures averaged 1.0°F warmer than the 20th century average while the average temperatures in 11 western U.S. states were 1.7°F warmer, 70% more warming than the rest of the world (Table 1). Along with temperature increases, the West is getting drier as evidenced by decreases in snowpack and snowfall, earlier snow melt, more winter rain events, increased peak winter flows, and reduced summer flows. Evidence of significant decreases in the length and volume of glaciers raises the question of climate change and its impact on future water supplies. The Colorado River Colorado River Delta: one of America’s great mountain rivers no longer reaches the sea (P. McBride) and its tributaries are the primary water providers for the western United States. However, water shortages have now reached the point where cities such as Los Angeles, High-volume hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is the Las Vegas, and Phoenix, have acquired all possible water- process of injecting millions of gallons of water, chemicals, use rights in the Colorado River system all the way to the and sand into shale rock formations deep underground at Colorado Rockies. In some cases, entire watersheds in high pressures to break open the rock and release natural mountains are being earmarked as water supplies for the gas, which is considered by many to be the clean energy mega-cities. alternative to coal and oil. In addition to concerns about the depletion of local water supplies, fracking, like coal mining, Fast population growth in mountains and their valleys and produces hazardous wastewater. There have been more an increase in mountain tourism are impacting the biodi- than 1,000 documented cases of water contamination near versity of mountain ecosystems. Generally accompanied fracking sites in the United States. iv Sustainable Mountain Development RIO 2012 and beyond Policy action – North America’s mountains and the future we want In the United States, the administration’s National Oceans Council has developed priority objectives and an implemen- tation plan that the country will pursue to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the oceans, the coasts, and the Great Lakes. A similar policy focus is needed for mountain ecosystems. If Canada, the United States, and Mexico were to adopt National Mountain Policies, which include overarching guiding principles for management decisions and actions that ensure that mountains and their downstream regions are healthy and resilient, safe and productive, and understood and treasured so as to promote the well-being, prosperity, and security of present and future generations, they could provide the necessary cata- lyst to bring stakeholders together to work towards sustain- Mountaintop Removal Mining, West Virginia, USA (Southwings) able mountain development throughout North America. The challenges to sustainable mountain development are many. Most inroads to promote sustainability have been Table 1: made by public and private organizations at the local and regional levels. For example, in the area of climate change, More Rapid Warming in the both Canadian and United States federal governments American West have considered climate-change laws, but legislation in both countries is neither comprehensive nor certain to pass. 2003 to 2007 5-Year Average In the absence of adequate federal programs, states and Temperatures Compared to provinces have stepped in with their own climate change 20th Century Averages initiatives. Not surprisingly, however, federal, state, and provincial governments hold different views about the specifics of measures to control greenhouse gases, even Planet +1.0°F when they agree on the broad objective. Western United States +1.7°F There is no shared vision within North America for moun- Colorado River Basin +2.2°F tains and their desired future state. Given the diversity Arizona +2.2°F of the people, cultures, values, economies, etc. within California +1.1°F Canada, the United States, and Mexico, it is unlikely that a Colorado +1.9°F shared vision is possible in the near future. But of greater concern is that there is little dialogue taking place at the Idaho +1.8°F national level that integrates all of the issues facing moun- Montana +2.1°F tain ecosystems. The challenges facing North America’s Nevada +1.7°F mountain regions are not going away – they are only increasing. A major obstacle to moving forward to