Swiss Alps: village buried by glacier collapse
After millions of tonnes of rocks and rubble broke off from the unstable Kleines Nesthorn mountain above, large parts of the Birch glacier in the Swiss canton of Valais collapsed and almost completely wiped out the village of Blatten in the valley below. Thanks to early warnings by experts, the village's 300 inhabitants and their livestock had been evacuated a few days before.
Find solutions that are not made of concrete
Le Temps calls for open-minded reflection:
“The catastrophe that destroyed the idyllic village of Blatten must serve as a wake-up call. ... A paradigm shift is needed. Should we perhaps go so far as to abandon certain regions that are severely threatened by natural hazards? That would be a radical idea, but it needs to be considered. Experts and, above all, politicians must have the courage to face reality in order to find new solutions that are not made of concrete.”
Symbol of nature's power and humanity's strength
For the Tages-Anzeiger the slide exemplifies humanity's ability to protect itself from natural disasters:
“Mountain dwellers have always feared nature; they prayed and hoped. They trusted their experience and instincts. But after landslides help often came too late. The only option left open to the survivors was to console themselves with the same phrase: nature is more powerful than humans. ... Yet Blatten is an impressive example of how effectively we are now able to protect ourselves against the worst consequences of natural disasters, thanks to modern science and Swiss organisational talent. ... Blatten will become a symbol of the force of nature. But also of the strength that humankind has achieved for itself.”
Rich Switzerland can lead the way
Climate protection is still not progressing fast enough in Switzerland, criticises Nicolas Freund, Zurich correspondent for the Süddeutsche Zeitung:
“The country recycles a lot, generates a large proportion of its electricity from hydropower and has set itself the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. But the government keeps postponing the implementation of climate protection targets. ... Of course, Switzerland can't save the climate on its own. But as a rich and innovative country it can set an example. ... Although Switzerland did everything right in the Blatten landslide, it would be even better to ensure that the likelihood of such disasters is as small as possible in the future.”