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October 2013 Page 1 Editor Sara Sottocornola www.evk2cnr.org Special www.montagna.tv Number 5 www.highsummit.org October 2013 Mountain and climate change Summit feelings by AGOSTINO DA POLENZA ringing back the sense of de pathologies - in areas where Where the warming hurts more elevation, the feeling of rea- there are not only mountaineers, by SARA SOTTOCORNOLA chingB a summit, of a 360 degrees but also locals working every view. The High Summit is all of day. Deep ice core drillings on n the last 50 years the global this applied to the scientifi c rese- glaciers, on the silt beds of high mean temperature has risen by arch, the knowledge of mountains altitude lakes for paleontological I and the development and well research, for muscle, heart and half a degree. being of the people who inhabit brain fatigue, their adaptation In the Alpine region though, it has them. Sounds like a challenging to the lack of oxygen in order increased more: somewhere by program? Perhaps so, but when to understand not only the adju- one degree and at higher altitudes it comes to mountains, we at sting mechanisms, but also why by almost one and a half degrees. EvK2Cnr are ambitious, possibly and how cancerous cells interact These estimates are what the most even cheeky. But we do have a few with hypoxia, or why free radi- authoritative European climatic reasons to pride ourselves with. cals behave differently amongst models show, to which scientists For more than 25 years we have the various peoples living at high and governments alike are trying been climbing mountains, seeing altitudes. How much water is to fi nd answers, also in light of a them as a source for knowledge, available in the vast terrestrial further warming in future decades. an opportunity for scientifi c rese- glacial deposits of the planet (i.e. Is this the same old climate war- arch, a place where man and na- glaciers), and for how long will it ture can learn how to enter into be available? What are the right ning? Not at all. a challenging but highly fruitful policies to increase the number Let’s try and focus on the mountain mutual relationship. We also do and quality of forests. Culture, environment, an ecosystem that it because it is pleasant and we craftsmanship and art are the hi- surrounds us and is part of our li- like it. We have developed awa- storical heritage of human intel- ves, whether we realize it or not. reness and knowledge both in the ligence in the mountains as well. After all – and as trivial as it may management of complex logistics Such heritage must be protected sound – water is at the centre of the and organizational systems, and and valued as a resource – even issue and our livelihood depends also in the engineering of the an economic one, if you think of on it like nothing else. structures, equipment and instru- tourism, for example. The signs of climate change on mentation used in the mountains. This is what we have been wor- mountains are plain for everyone The Pyramid Laboratory-Obser- king on for more than 25 years. to see. vatory on Everest is at the core There is about one hundred of of our system. Climatic exami- us: a group of people who love Glaciers retreating, avalanches, nations and consequent chan- mountains and the countries serac collapses, fl oods, landslides ges and adjustments, mitigation where they are located, Nepal for and slope instability. In the last 15 plans for their effects. Medicine, example, but also Italy, France, years an increase in extreme wea- physiology, preventive measures Pakistan, Uganda, Chile. ther events has been reported, both Ice cave, Gore (Photo: Marcello Alborghetti) and treatments for high altitu- We are happy and proud if it. Continue to page2 Fifth IPCC report Is mankind the major cause of climate change? Ice cover halved and more frequent heat waves Climate is changing... to come in the upcoming decades .....even on your by VERONICA ULIVIERI mountains t is highly likely that human ber, leaves little room for doubt “Iactivity is the major cause on the underlying causes of this of the global warming observed phenomenon that scientists, po- Events in Lecco since 1950.” The rst part of the liticians and the general public fth IPCC (Intergovernmental have been talking about – and Panel on Climate Change) report worrying about – for decades. Multimedia Pyramid EVK2CNR-COBAT on climate change (AR5), made “The past three decades have Videos on the e ects of climate change October 3-27, Piazza Cermenati public at the beginning of Octo- Continue to page2 Ragni di Lecco Mountains and Climate Change Film exhibition International Scienti c Conference October 22, at 21.00, Auditorium Chamber of Commerce Roped together: Lecco for the mountains October 23 - 24 - 25, Politecnico - Polo territoriale di Lecco After being nominated “Alpine Town of the Year 2013” by the Mountain Happy hour Alpine Convention international committee, Lecco was the Breathing Himalaya Only 1 euro: take the voucher at the A hypermedia exhibit between nature and science High Summit info-point obvious choice to host the 2013 High Summit. As the fth October 3-27, Palazzo delle Paure, Piazza Cermenati October 24, 18.00 - 21.00 Piazza XX Settembre Italian city to be awarded the title since it was established in 1997, Lecco succeeds Annecy (France), based on the city’s Science to the streets Mountain Voices strong environmental friendliness and its sustainable deve- A box for the analysis of air quality Evening show October 23 - 24 - 25, Politecnico - Polo territoriale di Lecco October 24, at 21.00, Teatro Sociale lopment policies in mountain areas. (On page 11-12) Page 2 October 2013 October 2013 Page 3 HIGH SUMMIT CLIMATE From Martin Beniston to Gaetano Leone “We are in it together, for better or worse”” Why the High Summit? Gathered together the Polluted air on the mountains as in the city? by SARA SOTTOCORNOLA by VALENTINA D’ANGELLA he name draws its inspiration later, mountains, “sentinels of cli- lopment, particularly vulnerable most authoritative voices from the International Year of mate change”, have fi nally beco- to climate change and natural di- TMountains 2002, when a global me a “hot topic” on international sasters”, and invited governments videoconference, for the fi rst time, agendas, thanks also to the offi - to the implementation of policies of international research gathered together researchers and cial recognition given by the fi nal which are specifi c to these areas. he High Summit scientifi c zation, Barbara Ryan, Director of politicians from all continents, report of the Rio+20 UN summit, High Summit 2013 represents a conference will have as guests the Group on Earth Observations with the aim of defi ning common which defi ned them as “essen- unique opportunity to take stock of Tsome of the most prominent world Secretariat and Surendra Raj Ka- development strategies. Ten years tial for global sustainable deve- the situation. mountain and climate change ex- fl e, Vice Chancellor of the Nepal perts, from research centers and Academy of Science and Techno- other institutions. Among them, logy (NAST). Researchers coming Martin Beniston, from the Institute from all over the world will take Pollutants in the Khumbu Valley, Nepal Grignetta (Photo: Marco Caccia) for Environmental Sciences of the turns at the 6 round tables devo- countries, where people burn fi - What happens when serious pol- damage is becoming aware of the University of Geneva, who will ted to Climate, Cryosphere, Water, echnically they are called ae- When we talk about fi ne particula- rewood in their houses for cooking lution occurs in urban as well as current situation: in other words, chair the session devoted to cli- Mountain Parks, Economic and rosols. On the newspapers, ho- te matter, we refer to particles that T and heating. Carbonaceous parti- rural areas at a low altitude is that, we have to monitor the atmosphe- mate, and Gaetano Leone, Deputy Environmental Impacts of Climate wever, we often read about PM10 can be solid or liquid, existing in cles released in a room by cooking as soon as certain conditions are re in different places of the planet, Secretary of IPCC, entrusted with Change. On the last day, the High or PM2.5. As a matter of fact, this nature or man-made. Marine aero- or heating fi res, from open bra- met (warming of the slopes of a fi rst of all in mountainous regions, the task of expressing the summit’s Summit will focus on the Alpine is particulate matter polluting the sol, volcanic ash and desert sand ziers, not equipped with chimneys, mountain, resulting in mountain or as mountains represent privileged fi nal remarks. Outstanding repre- Convention, an international treaty air we breathe and resulting in are particles that originate spon- cause extremely serious damage valley breeze), valleys turn into ca- points of observation to conduct sentatives of the scientifi c world aimed at promoting the sustainable dire consequences for human he- taneously in nature: they are tran- to human health, including chro- nals conveying pollution – which this kind of studies. This was the will make the opening remarks: development of the Alpine region, alth, climate, glaciers and unique sported by winds and we fi nd them nic obstructive pulmonary disease of course is not originally produ- premise of the Share project, a net- Luigi Nicolais, President of the presided over by Italy in 2013- ecosystems of the world. They can deposited on car windshields in (COPD) and other cardiovascular ced at high altitudes – to mountain work of weather stations collecting Italian National Research Council 2014.