1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,600 This is the resort of Engelberg in the heart of the Swiss Alps. 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:10,200 Hundreds of thousands of visitors come here every year to ski, hike and relax 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:13,160 amidst some of the most stunning mountain scenery in the world. 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:18,280 These Indian tourists have come to Engelberg to see snow for the first time. 5 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,480 For many it may also be the last time because the snow and ice that make this 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,040 one of the most iconic and photographed places on earth 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,040 is melting fast. 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,800 Christoph Bissig is in charge of peace preparation and mountain rescue on the 9 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:32,760 Titlis resort 10 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,320 that rises 2,000 meters above Engelberg. 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,400 We are having shorter seasons up here. We have to fight to 12 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,520 be able to keep the ski season earlier open. In the olden days 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:50,120 we started in October and even before ten years ago the people 14 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:54,720 still been skiing all year round up here. We stopped that about seven years ago 15 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,880 We carried on with a little terrain park for snowboarders 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,440 in a small area but we stopped that too because it just gets too slushy. 17 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,560 The other thing is there hasn't been much 18 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,800 not enough snow fallen over the winters 19 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,240 and that's why the reason we stopped skiing and snowboarding for the summer. 20 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:20,280 Less snowfall is not only bad news for skiers who have to climb higher and 21 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:21,600 higher in search of peace 22 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:25,360 it's bad news for the Alpine economy which depends on tourism. 23 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,960 60 to 80 million tourists descend on the Alps every year 24 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:33,160 mainly for skiing holidays. But lack of snow 25 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,360 could lead to the closure of dozens of low-lying resorts such as Negev in France 26 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:43,440 and Kitzbühel in Austria. Here in Engelberg peace operators have covered part of the 27 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:44,840 glacier in a white fleece 28 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,840 to stop it melting in summer. But with less snow and warmer temperatures 29 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,600 the rest of the glacier will continue to retreat. When I started here 30 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,840 15 years ago we had about 20 meters high 31 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:00,160 big seracs sort of continually breaking down on those days 32 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,960 and the last 15 to 17 years the whole 33 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,360 glacier has been retreating to about 200 meters further up the hill. 34 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,600 It's incredible. 35 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,640 One of the major attractions on Mount Titlis is this ice cave 36 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:18,680 carved out of a glacier 3,000 meters above sea level. 37 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,720 But as the glacier retreats cracks are beginning to appear on the cave's ceilings. 38 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,960 For us it is a really sad story to see it go so 39 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,200 rapidly going down because we're living off it, we love the glacier 40 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,760 in a way it's sort of, even if you look up from the valley 41 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,960 you see in the summertime it's white, a white cap and a mountain sort of, if you don't 42 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,920 if you don't see that anymore it's a big loss for the mountain region for 43 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,960 areas which really live off tourism. 44 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,760 It's a similar story of glacial retreat across the Alps. 45 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,360 This is the Steingletscher Glacier on the other side of Mount Titlis. 46 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,880 It used to occupy the whole of this valley. Now a lake has formed where the 47 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,560 glacier's snout used to be. 48 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,000 Michael Zemp, a glaciologist at the University of Zurich is the author of a 49 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:11,240 major study on the effects of climate change on alpine glaciers. 50 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,760 The report doesn't make for happy reading. 51 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:18,840 The mean annual thickness loss of glaciers 52 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:25,400 after the end of the so-called Little Ice Age around 1850 was about 25 centimetres. 53 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,440 Since the 1980s 54 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,400 glaciers in the European Alps lost about 55 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,880 75 centimetres per year. 56 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,000 Since 2000 glaciers lost about 57 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,120 one metre of ice thickness each year 58 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,760 and in the year 2003 when we had this extreme heat wave in summer 59 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,720 glaciers in the Alps lost about 2.5 metres in one single year. 60 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,040 Glaciers are bellwethers of climate change and even a small temperature 61 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,520 increase can have devastating results. 62 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,720 In the European Alps we lost about 50 percent of the glacier cover since the 63 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,960 end of so-called Little Ice Age around 1850 64 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,720 and the temperature increase since then 65 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:13,320 was about 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the Alps. 66 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,360 And when we imagine now that the scenarios 67 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,080 range between a further increase in temperature by another degree 68 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:25,280 up to another six degrees Celsius by the end of this century 69 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:29,960 then we can imagine what this would mean. 70 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,440 The Alps are already warming three times faster than the rest of the globe and 71 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,600 Dr. Zemp calculates that a three degree increase in temperature 72 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,080 could lead to the loss of 80 percent of alpine glacier cover by the end of the 73 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:41,120 century 74 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,640 resulting in more floods and landslides in spring and less water for 75 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:49,480 Switzerland's agriculture and energy needs in summer. 76 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,200 Higher temperatures could also melt the permafrost many pylons and cable car 77 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:54,640 supports are embedded in 78 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:59,600 leading to higher repair and insurance costs. 79 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,080 Sea levels have already risen by 20 centimetres and could mount by as much as 80 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,640 80 centimetres by the end of the century 81 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:09,840 and by up to seven metres if the Greenland ice sheet melts. 82 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:12,760 This is what would happen to England, Belgium and the Netherlands without 83 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:13,840 flood protection 84 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:19,200 and this is the effect of a one and eight metre rise in sea levels. 85 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,040 Melting of ice, increasing sea levels 86 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,640 is also a long-term threat which will physically change the landscape of 87 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:28,800 Europe and the landscape of the world. 88 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,880 If Greenland melts, a sea level rise of up to seven metre 89 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,360 is being predicted, is being forecasted 90 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,000 you cannot adapt to that one, you can build dikes a little bit higher 91 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,120 to accommodate 50 centimetre, probably one metre sea level at maximum in the 92 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,800 Netherlands and somewhere, but seven metre you can't adapt to. 93 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:46,560 You have to evacuate people, you have to evacuate 94 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:51,200 cities like Cairo, like New York, like London, like Hamburg, like Rome. 95 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:55,360 Too much water is a fantasy for farmers in the Murcia area of southern Spain 96 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,880 which is one of Europe's hottest and driest regions. 97 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,520 Without irrigation this area would be a desert 98 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:07,640 but to keep such regions fertile almost 90% of Spain's freshwater resources are needed. 99 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,240 Farmers such as Antonio Moreno Soriano are already struggling with harsh 100 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,880 climatic conditions. Global warming will only make matters worse. 101 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:38,720 Murcia is often referred to as La Huerta de Europa. 102 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,320 This is where much of the continent's fresh fruit and vegetables come from 103 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,080 but with studies predicting up to 40% less rainfall a year in Spain 104 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,480 how long will this region remain Europe's orchard? 105 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,800 This area of Spain is booming. A decade ago there were two golf courses 106 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:59,520 now 70 are planned. 800,000 second homes have been built in recent years 107 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:03,440 to cater for northern Europeans in search of more clement weather. 108 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,720 The result is that farmers are often in direct conflict with the owners of 109 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,280 hotels, golf courses and holiday homes for 110 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:12,640 precious water resources. 111 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,040 The migration of tens of millions of northern Europeans to the Mediterranean 112 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,040 coast is the biggest annual movement of 113 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:22,320 people on the planet. Here in the mega resort of Benidorm on 114 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,680 Spain's southeast coast tourists arrive all year round to soak 115 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,800 up the sun. But with annual average temperatures in 116 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,400 this part of the world expected to rise by up to five degrees by the end of the 117 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,960 century will this corner of Europe become too 118 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,960 hot for them? This is a map produced for the EU showing 119 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,760 the conditions for summer tourism in Europe at present. 120 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,040 The red and brown parts are very good or excellent for tourism 121 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,800 while the blue parts are less attractive. The next map shows the projection for 122 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,080 the end of the century based on a global 3.4 degree increase 123 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:56,080 in temperatures during this century. Note how the North Sea and Baltic area 124 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,080 become much more appealing to holiday makers 125 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,920 while the Mediterranean becomes less enticing. 126 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,840 Climate change will have more sinister effects than changing holiday patterns. 127 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:10,560 In Europe more than 70,000 people died prematurely during the 2003 heat wave 128 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,760 and increased temperatures could lead to thousands more deaths a year in 129 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:17,040 southern Europe. Forest fires will also become more 130 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,360 frequent across large swathes of the continent 131 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,200 and many bird and animal species will become extinct as natural habitats are 132 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:28,160 wiped out. Climate change will have in the view of 133 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:32,800 the real experts a tremendous negative impact on 134 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,600 biodiversity reducing it by they say approximately 135 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,280 30 percent. This is a catastrophe of major 136 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:45,200 proportions. Poor countries will suffer the most from 137 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,960 climate change as soaring temperatures melting glaciers and falling rainfall 138 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,160 leads to lower crop yields, less drinking water and greater 139 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,920 starvation. The prospect of tens of millions of 140 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,120 environmental refugees escaping harsh climatic conditions 141 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:04,080 is no longer the realm of sci-fi films. It's for real. 142 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,160 Many are already adapting to the effects of climate change. 143 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,920 In the Danube basin between Vienna and Bratislava authorities are removing 144 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,880 artificial boulders to allow the river to flood naturally 145 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:20,080 creating a wildlife rich natural park and preventing flooding in cities. 146 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:23,520 And in the Murcia region of Spain farmers irrigate their crops using a 147 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,880 computerized water card that's helped reduce water consumption 148 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,160 by 30 percent. The European Commission believes the 149 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,360 quicker we adapt to climate change the better. 150 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:38,320 The cost of acting today is significantly less than it is to 151 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,360 to clean up tomorrow. In our calculation 152 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:45,760 we can actually act against climate change 153 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:50,800 at a very small cost to our economy. 154 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:56,400 Global warming is a fact. Temperatures have already risen by 0.76 degrees since 155 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,440 the industrial revolution and are projected to rise further by 156 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,800 1.8 to 4 degrees by the end of the century. 157 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:06,400 Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are needed urgently to prevent a climate 158 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,960 catastrophe but this will not solve the problem in 159 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,000 the short term. The negative effects of global warming 160 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,960 will be felt for centuries due to the inherent inertia in the 161 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:18,320 climate system. The real question is no longer how to 162 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,160 stop the damage but how to limit it. The most cost-effective way to do this 163 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:28,720 is to act now rather than later.