During a trip to Chamonix, in Haute-Savoie this Thursday, November 21, the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher made several announcements as part of a plan aimed at protecting glaciers and their ecosystems, but also populations of these territories.
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The Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher was traveling this Thursday, November 21, to Chamonix, in Haute-Savoie. During this, she took the opportunity to present a plan which aims to protect glaciers and their ecosystems. But also to protect populations against the hazards linked to their melting. The minister said: “We realize how much we have to lose if we don't act now.“.
The Alps and Pyrenees are particularly vulnerable to warming, with temperatures already increasing by 2°C in the 20th century, compared to +1.4°C in the rest of France. French glaciers have lost 25% of their surface area in half a century and, at this rate, scientists believe that there will be almost no more by 2100.
The year 2025 is associated, internationally, with the conservation of glaciers, recalled the minister, before discussing a three-part plan. The first is more particularly dedicated to the prevention of risks linked to glaciers, including “the creation of lakes and pockets of underground water that can suddenly rupture and flow into the valley“. To protect against this, the ministry recommends carrying out “doubts cleared” in the 360 risk basins identified in the Alps.
France has, according to glaciologists, some 550 glaciers, including one “small handle” can be considered potentially dangerous for populations located downstream. In the past, emptying operations have already been carried out for glacial lakes in Mont-Blanc, Hautes-Alpes or even above Tignes (Savoie) .
Then, the government plans to better protect the glaciers, but also the natural spaces that will appear with their retreat. The idea being to promote a “biodiversity (which) resettles on completely virgin territories“. Spaces that will have a “major role” to play. According to scientists, they contribute to adaptation to climate change.
And finally, the plan plans to release funds to strengthen support for mountainous territories by “reviewing all existing mechanisms, notably the Avenir Montagnes fund, so that it contributes more to adaptation to climate change in the mountains“, according to the minister's office.
All these measures are part of a National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC). The latter was presented in October by the Prime Minister and aims to prepare the country for the consequences of a 4°C rise in temperatures by the end of the century.
