Much too hot!

Alpine expert sees water supply in danger

Rivers and lakes are particularly affected by water shortages in summer.

(Bild: Abode Stock [e-mail])

The rise in temperature due to climate change is particularly noticeable in the Alps. And with it the consequences, which are causing extensive damage in the mountains. But the big cities are also in trouble. Alpine expert Werner Bätzing warns of a water shortage in the summer months. Krone+ spoke to the professor.

Heavy rain, mudslides, avalanches - in recent months, the Alps have provided a bitter foretaste of the future in the mountains. "As solar radiation increases disproportionately at high altitudes, the warming is much more intense than in the lowlands," says Alpine expert Werner Bätzing, who warns of climate-related disasters in the Alps. "As a towering mountain range, the Alps are perpendicular to the wind direction and therefore represent an obstacle for winds." While winds are not so important in the lowlands, nature in the mountains suffers greatly as a result. "The winds will become much more intense," says Bätzing.