Latest news with #Fahre
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Ice park threatened by climate change finds an ally in US silver mine
America's ice-climbing epicenter was facing a bleak future, with climate change endangering its water supply, until an unlikely savior came to its rescue: a nearby silver mine. Nestled in the heart of the Rockies, at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,800 feet), Ouray is famous among mountaineers around the world for its artificial ice park. For 30 years, the village has piped in water that washes down the walls of a nearby gorge in winter, freezing in place and creating dozens of climbing routes. "It's definitely an ice climbing Mecca," said mountain guide Clint Cook. "I can't think of anywhere else that attracts this many people specifically to one place, just for ice climbing." But a damaging decades-long drought threatened the area's water source, even as the number of winter visitors exploded. "I can remember some people going around town and be like 'Don't shower tonight! We need that water in the tank to build ice,'" said Cook, 47. But starting next season, all that is set to change, after Ouray Silver Mines stepped in and offered to lease the rights to millions of liters (gallons) of water every year -- for a meager $1 fee. "The water from the mine will give us anywhere from three- to five-times more water than we have access to right now," said Peter O'Neil, executive director of the nonprofit Ouray Ice Park. "And we're not dependent on the city water tanks." - 'Ghost town' - That should secure the park's future not only for the "next generation of ice climbers," but also for all the local businesses that depend on tourists. "If there was no ice park in the winter, the town would be a ghost town," said O'Neil. "Most of the hotels and motels would be closed." Ouray, a village of around 900 people, was founded in the 19th century during the Colorado Silver Rush -- a history that is commemorated by a statue of a miner found the town. Silver mining dwindled over the 20th century, but renewed demand from new technologies like solar panels has reinvigorated the industry. Brian Briggs, the former CEO of Ouray Silver Mines, who sealed the partnership transferring water rights to the ice park, said the alliance was a win for everyone. Under Colorado's water use rights, the mine was entitled to millions of gallons for "recreational use," simply by dint of being a significant land owner. It wasn't using them, and Briggs recognized the need to improve the image of his industry. "Most people don't like things in their backyard that are mining or industrial," he said. Donating the water, he figured, was a nice way to give back to the community in an effort to build good will. "People need to know that the mine's not just this bad group of people," Briggs said. - 'What if there's no ice?' - Earth's warming climate, caused chiefly by humanity's unchecked burning of fossil fuels, has not only hit water supplies, but also causes problems with rising temperatures. Ideally, the park needs several consecutive days where the temperatures stays below -7C (19 Fahrenheit) for the ice to form properly, hence the importance of being able to turn the taps on when the weather is right. For the thousands of people who travel to the self-proclaimed "Switzerland of America" spending around $18 million a year, the deal is a real boost. Jen Brinkley, from California, has been visiting Ouray almost every season for 30 years. When she was younger, she said, she would ask: "How many times can we get up there this year? It was more about like, how many trips could we take?" "There was never a thought of, 'oh, wait, what if there's no ice?'" Brinkley hopes the water from the mine will secure the park's future and make the climbing there even better. "With more routes open you definitely have people that can spread out and so everybody can have a chance to climb," she said. rfo/hg/jgc
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How cities cope with climate-caused floods and drought
Urban areas, which are home to more than half of the 8 billion people on the planet, are known to be heating faster than rural regions. They are also, according to new research by the international charity WaterAid, particularly at risk from water-related natural disasters. The study examines more than 100 major cities where climate patterns have dramatically changed over the past four decades. And in unexpected ways. "I assumed dry places were getting drier and wet places wetter, but the most surprising thing to me was that many cities are experiencing a complete change in what they were used to managing," Katherine Nightingale, WaterAid's global international affairs director, told DW. Cities such as Cairo, Madrid, Hong Kong, and the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah — once prone to floods — now struggle with drought. Meanwhile traditionally dry cities in India, Colombia, Nigeria and Pakistan are now likely to experience flooding. "Infrastructure that was designed and built at a time when these were dry cities are now having to deal with this idea that these are now flood-prone cities," Nightingale said. All but three of the cities facing increasing floods are in Asia — half of them in India. Europe, North Africa and the Middle East are experiencing the greatest drying trend. Cities in China, Indonesia, the United States and East Africa are most at risk from a climate whiplash — meaning that they must deal with both increased wetness and dryness, often within the same year. And that's especially hard to handle. "Droughts dry up water sources, while floods destroy toilets and sanitation systems and contaminate drinking water," Nightingale said. Such breakdowns in water, sanitation and hygiene services are often felt most by vulnerable communities through impacts on health, education and livelihoods that can push them deeper into poverty. Nightingale said it was vital to "map who's most at risk and work with these communities on the front lines." That's exactly what Pakistan's first female architect, Yasmeen Lari, now in her 80s, has been doing for years. She has found creative and inexpensive ways to protect the most vulnerable people against flooding. WaterAid ranks Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, among the 10 most at risk from a combination of intensifying climate hazards and the high vulnerability of its communities. As many as half of its 20 million people live in slums. In an effort to make the city more resistant to floods, Lari made use of terracotta — drawing on Pakistan's rich craft traditions. "I'm surprised it's not used more because it's a wonderful material, it's permeable, it absorbs water," she said. She added that it also "helps cool down the air." Taking a street-by-street approach, Lari has replaced impermeable asphalt surfaces with terracotta tiles, installed stormwater wells and planted native trees along streets to absorb rainwater and reduce heat. Her work has already cooled streets by 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) and prevented flooding, she says. "In a very complex environment such as our urban centers, it's very difficult to take up a whole area and revamp it," Lari said, "but it's possible to take sort of neighborhood enclaves which are then flood-free and free of any kind of heat islands." During Pakistan's devastating 2022 floods, which affected 33 million people and left Karachi underwater, the only dry street was the one Lari had already revamped, she said. Lari didn't just want to flood-proof streets — a process in which she involves residents — but has also set out to create inexpensive flood-resilient housing. "We don't have to go for big ambitious space schemes," she said. "If you do everything locally, with local materials, then it makes it affordable for people." Having experimented with sustainable low-cost materials, she has come up with a simple bamboo hut with that costs just $87 (€80) — one-tenth the price of a cement house in Pakistan — and is resilient in the face of floods and earthquakes. "I never thought bamboo was worth looking at. But ever since I started building with it, I never looked back. I just use bamboo now," Lari said. The plant's natural flexibility allows it to bend rather than break under pressure, and, unlike concrete, it doesn't trap water, thereby preventing structural damage. It also grows rapidly — some species over a meter per day — and is easy to replant. She sees potential for bamboo housing in cities worldwide, even in the Global North. While Pakistan faces floods, the southern African country of Zambia struggles with droughts that disrupt access to water, sanitation and electricity — affecting low-income communities most severely. The country relies on hydroelectric power, which is also used to supply the population with clean water. But when scarce rainfall causes levels to drop, it results in power shortages and limited access to clean water. Stagnant water during drought can also become a breeding ground for disease. "2024 saw the worst cholera outbreak that the country has ever experienced," said Yankho Mataya, WaterAid's country director in Zambia. She said the spread of the disease was closely linked to the water supply and that the capital, Lusaka, was identified as the "epicenter" of the outbreak. WaterAid helped residents of Sylvia Masebo, a hard-hit neighborhood in the city, by installing solar panels to generate the electricity needed to pump water collected in tanks. The project was a success. "When production of water supply from the utility company was low due to the electricity crisis triggered by the next drought, this community continued to enjoy full access to safe drinking water," Mataya said. The initiative is easily replicable, particularly in rural areas. WaterAid has since expanded it to schools, communities, and healthcare facilities. Applying such solutions on a broader level, requires funding that Mataya says is slow in coming. "The problem is, we're not seeing as much public investment and instead a significant dependency on external funding," she said. Nightingale stresses the need for government plans and investment to be specifically targeting the most vulnerable communities. "It isn't rocket science. The solutions are out there, and they are very simple, but they require effort and commitment," she said. "Our data shows that this is a global issue. Cites on every continent and in every corner of the world are affected. So, we all need to act now and work together to make cities more resilient." Lari also advocates for working together. She believes change can happen if people are encouraged to participate in bringing it about. "We need to really see how we can get to people and say you can do it yourself, as well. You just have to share the knowledge, empower them, get them to do it, and, if you can put women in the lead, you are a winner," she said. Edited by: Tamsin Walker
