5 vided we can live there and still protect ourselves, our homes and our transport infrastructure. Suddenly, the mountains are moving more than they used to. And not only in BrienzBrinzauls. They have become less predictable. Must we reassess our relationship with them? Geological processes “at a tipping point” Flavio Anselmetti, professor of geology at the University of Bern, says two separate things are taking place here that are commonly intertwined. “Firstly, mountain ranges like the Alps are constantly being pulled, pushed and contorted. Landslides and rockslides are perfectly normal in view of these geological forces,” he tells us. Secondly, the parameters are now changing as a result of global warming. The Earth has a long history of alternating naturally between warmer and colder periods. However, the current era is unusual in terms of how quickly temperatures are rising this time. And nature is trying to regain its balance amid the tumult, Anselmetti continues. Geological processes that would otherwise be considered normal in the Alps are, in his words, “at a tipping point” because of how quickly the Earth is heating up. Permafrost degradation represents the clearest example. Permafrost is soil and rocky material that stays frozen continuously. In the Alps, it tends to be found above 2,500 metres. Climate change is causing permafrost to thaw more often and for longer periods every summer. Permafrost is the “glue” that helps We like to view our beautiful Swiss Alps as an immovable, unyielding natural barrier, but they are less rock-solid than we thought. The earth seems to be crumbling – literally – under our feet. Our mountains are moving. JÜRG STEINER Brienz-Brinzauls, situated above the Albula Pass in the canton of Grisons, made headlines in early summer 2023 when its 80 or so inhabitants were ordered to evacuate over fears that a huge mass of rocks would tumble down the unstable slopes of Piz Linard and obliterate their small hamlet. Switzerland’s media kept close tabs on the situation, with tabloid “Blick” even setting up a live webcam of the unstable mountain. It made news across the pond. “A Swiss village is warned to flee its shifting mountainside” read a “New York Times” headline. The journalist quoted an inhabitant of Brienz who likened the impending rockfall to a tornado: the rocks would simply choose the path of least resistance, regardless of whether anyone or anything was in the way. Switzerland’s famous Alps were not so immovable after all. Brienz-Brinzauls essentially had a very lucky, narrow escape on the night of 15/16 June 2023, when a massive landslide – enough rocks to fill around 300,000 lorries – stopped just short of the evacuated village. No one was injured. Residents were able to return to their homes a few weeks later. The danger remains But this is not the end of it. Future landslides cannot be ruled out. At the same time the ground underneath Brienz-Brinzauls is wobbly too. The plateau on which the village stands has been slipping away slowly but surely for decades – at a rate of around one metre a year. Buildings and roads are cracking. Underground pipes are snapping. This makes it all the more surprising that the authorities in Grisons have no intention of giving up on Brienz-Brinzauls. They are doing everything they can to ensure that the hamlet remains habitable in the long term. Some 40 million Swiss francs worth of drainage tunnels and holes have been earmarked to improve stability underfoot. Both Grisons and the federal government are bankrolling the project, which might allow residents to stay put. Landslides in Switzerland like the one in Brienz-Brinzauls almost always attract a lot of attention. They have become more frequent in recent years as global warming compromises the geological stability of our Alpine landscapes. Each new incidence is now a media event in itself. The Alps as an indomitable fortress and a place of refuge Coverage naturally focuses on the circumstances of each landslide. But the sight of a mountainside crumbling before our eyes also has an acute emotional impact. The reasons for this are historical. Switzerland’s redoubt strategy during the Second World War cemented the legend of the Alps as an indomitable fortress and symbol of national resistance. If Hitler’s troops had invaded, our government and military commanders would have withdrawn to a network of hidden bunkers in the mountains, from where they would have coordinated the country’s defence. Since then, we have regarded the Alps as a place of refuge as well as natural beauty – proSwiss Review / October 2023 / No.5
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