Climate Thawing permafrost threatens dozens of SAC huts
Over a third of the Swiss Alpine Club's huts could become unstable in the future due to thawing permafrost. 42 huts are also potentially threatened by rockfalls from permafrost areas. These are the results of a study published on Tuesday.
26.11.2024, 09:43
SDA
Adjustments to the water supply of the 152 huts of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) are necessary in order to secure the drinking water supply in the long term. "Around 29 huts that still had glaciers in their catchment area at the beginning of this century will lose them by 2030. By 2050, this will affect a further 25 huts," Ulrich Delang, Head of Huts at the SAC, is quoted as saying in the press release on the "Huts 2050" study package.
While guests can still see a glacier in just under a third of SAC huts today, this will only be the case in ten percent of accommodation by 2050 and none by the end of the century. Over the next 25 years, the melted ice will create larger lakes at 21 huts within a radius of two kilometers.
There will also be changes to the access routes: Currently, these lead over glaciers at 22 huts in summer and winter, but in a quarter of a century this will only be the case at six huts.
Thawing permafrost, increasing natural hazards and changing landscapes require high investments and adjustments in hut construction. The money from the SAC hut fund is not enough to finance the construction projects alone. According to the SAC, it is therefore dependent on strong partners and donations.
