The mountain snow cover is decreasing due to global warming at a rate that varies based on elevation and geographical location. A new study published in Nature Climate Change on Aug. 23 has quantified the snow supply risk to ski tourism throughout Europe that derives from climate change. Without snowmaking, 53 percent and 98 percent of European ski resorts are projected to be “at very high risk” for snow supply with global warming at 2 °C and 4 °C, respectively. A snowmaking fractional coverage of 50 percent leads to corresponding proportions of 27 percent and 71 percent. However, snowmaking itself brings about increasing water and electricity demand and related carbon footprint, making the coexistence of climate change mitigation systems with sustainable development ever more challenging.
Europe is the largest ski tourism market in the world, accounting for about 50 percent of the ski resorts worldwide and more than 80 percent of the ski resorts with more than 1 million skier visits (the number of daily individual use of ski resort facilities) per year. Scientists analyzed data about 2,234 ski resorts in 28 European countries. The study, titled ”Climate change exacerbates snow-water-energy challenges for European ski tourism,” was carried out by a team of researchers affiliated with the University Grenoble Alpes, University of Toulouse, Météo France, and the Institute for Climate, Energy Systems and Society in Graz, Austria.
With reference to snowmaking, which aims at minimizing the negative impact of reduced natural snowfalls on ski tourism, the study reminded that although it does have an impact on the environment, it is not the main culprit in terms of carbon footprint. The environmental impact of ski tourism is typically associated with water and electricity demand for snowmaking. In fact, more than 50 percent of the carbon footprint of a destination, sometimes even 80 percent or more, is induced by the arrival, departure and on-site transportation of skiers. Operations of a ski resort like ski-lift operations, snow management and, indeed, electricity demand for snowmaking only correspond to 2 to 4 percent of the total carbon footprint of the destination. Reaching strong reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for ski tourism destinations will therefore mainly depend on massive reductions of the carbon footprint of transportation and accommodation, suggested the researchers.
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