Global warming threatens not only summer but also winter recreation. It is this that is the sad reason, because of which it will be possible to forget about the usual ski tourism. Already this season, the same Turkish resorts almost “failed” the season due to problems with snow, and many popular European resorts, from Chamonix in France to Innsbruck in Austria, were also affected due to record temperatures. And the situation will only get worse, climate scientists assure.
As stated in a study published in the journal Climate Change in Nature, virtually all resorts in Southern Europe will be at risk with climate change. “Without artificial snowmaking, and if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced only to the extent that current policies suggest (around 3°C), 100% of Southern European resorts face very high risks in terms of snow,” the study assures. In this case, the most popular Alpine resorts will be at risk – 93% of the resort in the French Alps, 94% of the Austrian resorts will fall into the risk zone, and German and Italian ski resorts in the Alps will be worst of all – all 100% are at risk, equally as in Turkey.
If the increase is limited to 1.5°C, the situation will be a little easier – in this case, only Italians will suffer – 69% of resorts will remain at risk, in Germany and Turkey – about 20% , and the Austrians, French and Swiss are lucky – the risk zone will not exceed 10%.
At the same time, artificial snow is not a panacea, experts add. At a minimum, an increase in artificial snow production will lead to an increase in resort water demand by an average of 20%. And in the water in Europe, due to two extremely hot years in a row, there are already problems …
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Doctors told why people run to the toilet after coffee.”