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The CIPRA compact “Energy” provides an overview on energy use and energy production in the Alps and describes national and regional strategies for climate protection and climate adaptation
. Here CIPRA gives its central statement on this issue: if we want to stem earth warming, increasing efficiency is important but not sufficient: we must reduce our consumption of energy services. Renewable energies must be imposed – with respect to this we must proceed carefully since even renewable energy sources hide significant potential for ecological conflicts. Particularly problematical sources are biomass, wind energy and the further exploitation of water energy in the Alps. If we want to change energy use we need a decentralised energy economy and macroeconomic measures. CIPRA’s demand in this field is to put together an “Energy Vision for the Alps”.
The third chapter focuses attention on the production of energy in the Alps and analyses various energy sources with respect to their sustainability: what potentials do energy sources have for an energy supply which is neutral towards the climate, and which sustainability issues can arise due to their increased use? The fourth chapter provides model examples: the sustainable energy supply in Achental, Bayern, the district heating station in Toblach, South Tyrol and the Energy School in Upper Bavaria show how this can be achieved and encourage its imitation. In chapter five the authors summarise their most significant notions and conclusions
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The CIPRA compact "Nature Protection" provides an overview on actions for nature protection in the Alps to limit climate change and adapt to it
. In the second chapter, CIPRA gives its central statement on this issue: nature protection means climate protection. Through the renaturation of marshland, a near-natural cultivation of forests, the revitalisation of rivers and the creation of ecological combined systems, nature protection can provide an essential contribution to climate protection while also ecologically enhancing habitats in the Alps and protecting the population from natural hazards.
In the third chapter, the individual correlations are thoroughly analysed and described. First of all, the authors take a look at the various measures, their relevance and consequences, then another section deals with possible conflicts with the objectives of sustainable development. At the end of the chapter, the authors summarise their most significant insights and conclusions
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Human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), the aggregate impact of land use on biomass available each year in ecosystems, is a prominent measure of the human domination of the biosphere
. We present a comprehensive assessment of global HANPP based on vegetation modeling, agricultural and forestry statistics, and geographical information systems data on land use, land cover, and soil degradation that localizes human impact on ecosystems. We found an aggregate global HANPP value of 15.6 Pg C/yr or 23.8% of potential net primary productivity, of which 53% was contributed by harvest, 40% by land-use-induced productivity changes, and 7% by human-induced fires. This is a remarkable impact on the biosphere caused by just one species. We present maps quantifying human-induced changes in trophic energy flows in ecosystems that illustrate spatial patterns in the human domination of ecosystems, thus emphasizing land use as a pervasive factor of global importance. Land use transforms earth's terrestrial surface, resulting in changes in biogeochemical cycles and in the ability of ecosystems to deliver services critical to human well being. The results suggest that large-scale schemes to substitute biomass for fossil fuels should be viewed cautiously because massive additional pressures on ecosystems might result from increased biomass harvest
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