Mountain Settlements: Energy Efficiency and Tourist Needs

Paragraphs: 1) NZEM (Nearly Zero Energy Mountains); 2) Rebalancing Mountain Territories; 3) An Innovative Process to Promote Culture and Technology for Sustainability. Climate change is reconfiguring the geography of mountain areas to such an extent that, beyond the obvious changes in meteorological conditions and the reduction in snow cover, it is capable of modifying habitats at high elevations, allowing natural species from lower elevations to live there. This phenomenon substantially changes the way of perceiving the mountain, both concerning tourist fluxes - which are modified in relation to different seasonal climate conditions - and the people that live in such places and draw their greatest wealth from cultivation of the lands. The questions to be answered are the following: 1. What strategies should be adopted to reduce the energy needs and emissions of CO2 in locations with high tourist fluxes? 2. How can tourist fluxes be balanced (thus balancing consumption and emission) with the aim of favouring other needs linked to a brand of tourism that is more ecologically oriented and economically accessible? 3. How can the necessary technology be integrated to obtain a near-zero energy balance within languages and cultures (material and non-material) characterised by a strong tradition?