By Future of snow sports at risk due to climate change
A new report suggests that snow sports and events such as the Winter Olympics are at risk due to climate change.
The ‘Slippery Slopes’ report was published by researchers from Loughborough University and the Protect Our Winters environment group.
In the coming years, these games may be too dangerous to hold due to climate change melting snow and ice across the globe.
The news comes a week before the Beijing Winter Olympics, due to begin on Friday 4 February.
According to Sky News, it will be the first Winter Olympics to use almost 100 percent artificial snow to create their ski slopes.
The energy and water needed to power the generators and snow cannons is substantial, but a large quantity of chemicals is also required to melt the snow afterwards.
The report indicates that these artificial conditions are also ‘unpredictable and potentially dangerous’.
It limits the amount of eligible venues available for future games and snow sports events.
Climate change has not just affected the Winter Olympics, but the Summer Olympics too.
During last year’s Tokyo Olympics, several athletes fainted due to the heat.
In a mere century alone, the temperature across the globe has raised by several degrees.
Speaking on snow sports, four-time Olympic snowboarder Zoe Gillings-Brier told Sky News that competitions “are now being cancelled due to lack of snow – this wasn’t the case when I started competing internationally 20 years ago.”
By 2050, only 10 venues will be able to hold the games sustainably due to their natural snowfall levels.
(Image: Colin Lloyd)
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