Munich (dpa/lby) - Because of their high energy consumption and negative environmental impact, the BUND Naturschutz is calling on Bavarian ski areas to turn off their snow cannons this winter. "Snow cannons have always been problematic due to their poor ecological balance, in the current crisis they are simply immoral," said Richard Mergner, state chairman of the association, on Wednesday in Munich.
Mergner appealed to the ski area operators to show solidarity and voluntarily refrain from using the snowmaking systems. By doing without, up to 16 million kilowatt hours of electricity and millions of liters of water could be saved in Bavaria in one winter.
The association also called on the Free State of Bavaria not to issue any further permits for the operation of the snow cannons in the future. For a uniform solution in the adjacent Alpine region, an agreement with Austria and Switzerland is also necessary. The medium-term goal is a general ban or at least a drastic reduction in snow-making systems. At the end of September, various environmental organizations submitted a petition to the Bavarian state parliament against state subsidies for snow cannons.
