17 September 2020
CFC – Climbing For Climate second edition
CFC – Climbing For Climate second edition. On the trail of the Vaia storm in Valcamonica. Excursion to the Baitone basin.
The event focused on the signing of an appeal to local authorities and citizens for the conservation and enhancement of the local natural and cultural heritage.
Conca del Baitone, 19th September. In 2019 the University of Brescia launched CLIMBING FOR CLIMATE (CFC) – the climb on the Adamello Glacier – to raise public awareness on the very serious problem of melting glaciers. The event on 19 July 2019 was shared within the Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (the RUS, to which 78 universities belong) and the Italian Alpine Club of Brescia.
The second edition of CLIMBING FOR CLIMATE is scheduled for Saturday 19 September, this year organized locally by each participating university, to comply with the Covid-19 containment regulations. The initiative, coordinated by the RUS, is sponsored by the national management of the Italian Alpine Club and will involve a large number of locations, with students and teaching and technical-administrative staff.
The Brescia event is organized by the University of Brescia – Sustainable UniBs, in collaboration with the Brescia Section of the Italian Alpine Club and with the patronage of the University Research and Documentation Center for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (CRA2030 ) and Students For Sustainability (S4S). Representatives of all the components of the university community, led by the UniBs Rector, prof. Maurizio Tira, will take a guided excursion to the Baitone basin, along part of the Brescia section of the “Sentiero Italia CAI”.
The Brescia appointment is also shared with UNIMONT – Mountain University – Edolo Campus of the University of Milan – and sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of the Territory and the Sea – MATTM, by the Italian Glaciological Committee – CGI , by Sustainable Development Solutions Network – SDSN and is included in the calendar of the Sustainable Development Festival promoted by the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development – ASviS.
While CFC 2019 highlighted the effect of global warming on the retreat of glaciers, this year the initiative wants to remind us how the greenhouse effect is favoring the accumulation of energy in the atmosphere. This energy is released in extreme weather events such the one on 29th October, 2018 during storm Vaia. The winds in the eastern Alps and as far as the ValleCamonica reached maximum speeds of nearly 200 km/hour, causing the greatest damage to the forest heritage for at least a century (41,000 hectares of damaged forests and 8 million cubic meters of timber felled in the North-East, as far as ValleCamonica).
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Trentino Alto Adige, Lavazè, vertical forest after the passage of Cyclone Vaia Storm on 29th October 2018.
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The visit to the Baitone and Miller dams also highlights the role played by renewable energies, such as hydroelectricity, in fighting global warming. Each cubic meter of water accumulated in the two basins, transported to the complex hydroelectric system built as of the 1920s, and then ‘turbined’ in the S. Fiorano power plant reduces the consumption of coal or oil to generate energy.
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The Lake Baitone dam built in 1927-1930 in blocks of tonalite.
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The Miller Lake dam, built in 1925-1926 in blocks of tonalite.
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The second edition of CFC-RUS, widespread and decentralized throughout Italy, aims to promote the themes of Agenda 2030 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through knowledge of territories and active mobility. The initiative aims to raise public opinion awareness at a local and national level in particular regarding:
- Promotion of sustainable tourism (SDG 8)
- Social and economic inclusion of those living in peripheral areas (SDG 10)
- Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11)
- Combatting climate change (SDG 13)
- Promotion of life on earth (SDG 15)
At the end of the day, an appeal will be signed to local authorities and citizens for the conservation and enhancement of the natural and cultural territorial heritage.
