Ghost ski resorts, global warming - can we afford to carry on skiing?
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Ghost ski resorts, global warming - can we afford to carry on skiing?
According to the French weather agency Meteo France the ski season gets one entire snowing month less since 1970 in the French Alps.
In 2021, 186 ski resorts shut down against 414 still running in France. It seems to be happening all around the world.
Some resorts are doing what they can to become more sustainable avoiding diesel engines for grooming machines. Resorts also try to make their snow making “sustainable” without draining natural water tanks.
I love skiing and always did. I even tried heliskiing a few times a few years ago, probably one of the worst practices for the environment.
Let’s face it, the cost of a skier’s carbon footprint is huge.
Can the World afford to carry on skiing?
Ghost ski resorts, global warming - can we afford to carry on skiing?
One the one hand, ski will remain. It will be increasingly north, increasingly expensive (rarer energy, higher in the mountains, fewer « viable » stations). A lot of current stations will have to evolve and go to other winter sports (hiking?) or die off.
On the other hand, we might regulate it all together and make it disappear as a policy to reduce our energy consumption (sobriety) and protect biodiversity.
In general, I think it won’t be a major concern in a few decades as we will focus more on things that we currently take for granted (food, water, energy, stable migration flows and peace). I think it’s a matter of time scale :)
One the one hand, ski will remain. It will be increasingly north, increasingly expensive (rarer energy, higher in the mountains, fewer « viable » stations). A lot of current stations will have to evolve and go to other winter sports (hiking?) or die off.
On the other hand, we might regulate it all together and make it disappear as a policy to reduce our energy consumption (sobriety) and protect biodiversity.
In general, I think it won’t be a major concern in a few decades as we will focus more on things that we currently take for granted (food, water, energy, stable migration flows and peace). I think it’s a matter of time scale :)