Climate Change Threatens Winter Recreation
Climate Change Threatens Winter Recreation
Snow that serves as the lifeblood of the nation’s $12.2 billion winter sports industry is melting under the influence of a warming climate, and dramatic steps are needed to protect the industry and the jobs it provides, a new study prepared for conservation groups concludes.
Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing — even ice fishing — could all be in trouble unless winter sports industry leaders take a leadership role in curbing emissions of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming, members of the National Resources Defense Council and Protect Our Winters insist.
“This industry as a whole needs to take its head out of the snow before it melts away,” said Antonia Herzog, assistant director of the defense council’s Climate and Clean Air Program.
“They need to start taking action,” Herzog said, adding that the industry should play an active role in pushing for new regulations curbing emissions from existing power plants in particular.