What defines quality of life for people living in the Alps? How can we safeguard and improve this quality of life in view of major challenges like climate change and economic as well as political instability? How can we turn the protection of quality of life into a basis for political decisions?
These and other questions were at the heart of a discussion on the 10th Report on the State of the Alps (RSA 10) on quality of life in the Alps at the Journalismusfest Innsbruck (‘Internationale Tage der Information’) on 18 May, co-organised with the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention. The RSA 10 was prepared under the Slovenian Presidency of the Alpine Convention (2023-2024).
Three experts took part in the panel: Karin Jehle from the Environment Agency Liechtenstein and Alpine Convention Focal Point, Roland Gruber the Vice-Mayor of Moosburg (Carinthia), and Marika Gruber from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. The panel was moderated by Dominik Prantl, a journalist at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The panellists gave the audience insights into the RSA 10, delving into its analysis of the ecological, economic, and social aspects of quality of life in the Alpine region as well as the recommendations it offers for policymakers. They also shared concrete experiences from their work in research, politics, and administration.
They discussed some of the challenges to quality of life, such as around public transport and the impacts of climate change, the possibilities for innovation at the local level, the importance of public participation and strengthening communities, and the value of talking more about best practice examples that contribute to quality of life in the Alpine region.
