Climate crisis hits ski resorts

The biggest concern for ski resort operators and winter athletes is climate change. Experts have announced that, due to global warming, there has been a decline in snow cover, particularly in Europe.

THOSE WISHING TO SPEND THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY DISAPPOINTED

The Morzine and Les Gets ski resorts in the French Alps have decided to postpone their season opening by one week. This situation has disappointed those who wanted to spend the Christmas holiday on a ski vacation.

According to a report in The Guardian, experts stated that if the world's temperature reaches 4 degrees, there is a very high risk of a decrease in snow cover in 98 percent of holiday destinations. A study revealed that snow cover in the Alps has shown an 'unprecedented' decline over the last 600 years and that the duration of snow cover has shortened by 36 days.

CALL FOR ACTION FROM THE FEDERATION

This year, 500 professional winter sports athletes published a letter calling on the International Ski Federation (FIS) to take more action on climate. In the letter, they criticized a competition schedule that forces skiers to fly back and forth across the Atlantic from week to week, creating unnecessarily large carbon footprints, and called on the federation to open the season later and end it earlier to respect the changing climate.

Additionally, more than 35 thousand signatures have been collected for a petition written on the subject.

The letter requests that the FIS shift its competition calendar by at least one month to adapt to the changing climate, reduce the necessity for air travel, and use its political influence to advocate for climate action before governments.

In a statement made by the FIS, it was noted that as a signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework (UNFCCC), they have committed to reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030.