Climate Change Threatens French Alps Village’s Future

Scientific literature has long warned us that global warming is intensifying extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, heatwaves, and wildfires. These extremes are becoming more frequent, severe, and in some cases longer-lasting — largely driven by the continuous burning of fossil fuels, which release planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Glaciers worldwide are rapidly shrinking or disappearing due to rising temperatures.

According to the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, Copernicus, while the planet is warming at an average rate of about 0.26°C per decade, Europe and the Arctic are heating at roughly double that pace. Copernicus’ ERA5 data between 1991 and 2020 show that the Arctic is warming at a rate of 0.69°C per decade, and Europe at a rate of 0.53°C per decade.

Although greenhouse gas emissions drive long-term warming, the rate of change varies across regions. Land areas heat faster than oceans due to water’s higher heat-absorbing capacity. Shifts in wind patterns and atmospheric circulation also play a role, while regions with high air pollution experience a cooling effect from aerosols reflecting sunlight.

Currently, Europe is the fastest-warming continent. Since the 1980s, it has warmed at twice the global average rate. This rapid warming is linked to more frequent and intense summer heatwaves, reduced air pollution allowing more solar radiation to reach the ground, and Europe’s geographic overlap with the Arctic — the world’s fastest-warming region. The rapid warming of Europe is also accelerating the retreat of its glaciers.

Shrinking glaciers and rising risks

The World Glacier Monitoring Service, coordinated by NOAA, reports that reference glaciers have lost the equivalent of 30 metres of thickness since 1970. For the past 37 years, glaciers have shrunk annually, with each decade losing more ice than the one before. Mountain glaciers are now retreating faster than ever.

This accelerating glacial melt is not only a symptom of climate change but also a direct hazard to communities.

A French alpine village under threat

The village of Pralognan-la-Vanoise, situated in the French Alps and home to approximately 700 residents, is facing a growing threat from a glacial lake located above it. The Grand Marchet lake, formed in 2020 at an altitude of 2,900 metres, holds between 50,000 and 70,000 cubic metres of water and is restrained only by a thinning glacier. Experts warn that if it bursts, a torrent of water, rocks, and debris could devastate the entire community.

To mitigate the risk, French authorities launched an emergency drainage project. Funded largely by France’s Green Fund and the Major Natural Risk Prevention Fund — with support from the local council — workers were airlifted by helicopter to dig a controlled drainage channel. Measuring six metres deep and 100 metres long, the channel allows water to flow gradually into the streams below, preventing a sudden and destructive surge.

Speaking to The Guardian, residents of Pralognan marvelled at how the surrounding mountains have changed over the decades.

“The mountain today is very different to 50 years ago. We rarely ever saw lakes like this on the glaciers then or had rockfalls of such intensity and frequency,” Bernard Vion, a 66-year-old Alpine guide, said.

He added, “We are on the frontline of climate change here. We know it is happening.”

Martine Blanc, the mayor of Pralognan, states, “We were born in Pralognan and it’s clear to us there’s no comparison between what we saw when we were kids and today, but in recent years things have really sped up,” she said.

“Now we can really see the difference. Even the sun in the mountains is no longer the same. We can feel it. We also have a lot more of the winds that bring sand from the desert, which settles on the glaciers and is also accelerating the melting,” she adds.

The experience of Pralognan-la-Vanoise is a stark reminder that Europe’s warming is not an abstract threat but an immediate and escalating danger to lives and landscapes.