Green Daily

Skiing

So you're not upset about glacier reduction, because who wants to interact with a big, treacherous, crevasse-laden ice hulk anyway? The same trends that are threatening glaciers are menacing ski areas across the globe. In 2003, the UN Environment Program studied ski resorts in Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, the United States and Canada, and found that ski areas in lower-lying altitudes are going to face economic problems as regular snowfall recedes into the higher reaches. Some ski areas may find the making of snow to be economically prohibitive, and besides, to make snow, temperatures need to get below a certain point.In the US, places like Park City, Utah are commissioning their own studies of the problem and trying to figure out what to do. Park City's economy would be seriously threatened if the ski season only went from Christmas to President's Day (another possible consequence of warming). The ski industry as a whole is also actively involving itself in the issue. The national association of ski areas has combined with the NRDC to create an advocacy group, Keep Winter Cool. So if you can't imagine life without your yearly slopes fix, click the link to find out what you can do.

Apr 7th 2008 @ 1:40PM