Nature Climate Change

• Behind all these tensions lies the same question: what does the future hold for skiing on an overheating planet?
• In recent decades, France has seen some ski resorts close due to a lack of snow or a sustainable business model.

This question is not just a concern for amateur or professional skiers. Skiing is also an economic issue, with a total turnover estimated at 30 billion euros in Europe. In France alone, 120,000 jobs depending directly and indirectly on the ski economy.

53% of ski resorts are at risk of running out of snow at +2°C

• At 2°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels, 53% of European resorts are at very high risk of low snowfall.
• At 4°C of global warming, 98% of European resorts are at very high risk of low snowfall.

Changes in the use of snow production

• Snow production involves projecting micro-droplets of water into the atmosphere so that they freeze before falling back to the ground.
• In the past, snow was produced mainly to limit the impact of natural fluctuations in snow cover from one season to the next.

À lire aussi :
Les stations de ski forcées de repenser leur modèle

Snow production also affected by rising temperatures

• Like natural snow, snow production is affected by rising temperatures, because snow production requires sufficiently cold weather conditions.
• Not all ski resorts will equally be able to adapt to rising temperatures by producing snow.

The carbon footprint of snow production

• What’s more, snow production is not carbon-neutral, so it’s important to bear this in mind before setting this technique up as the ultimate answer to reducing snow cover.
• We have therefore also calculated the water requirements, production and energy demand involved, and the carbon footprint of the electricity used to produce snow.
• It is therefore likely that the services provided by snow production will not be the same as in the past, which could make snow cover even more fragile over the high season.

Similarly, at around 80 kt eq CO2, the carbon footprint of the electricity used to produce snow remains limited, even if it varies greatly depending on countries’ energy mix.

Skiers’ transport and accommodation still emit a lot of CO₂

• In reality, it is responsible for only a fraction of the carbon footprint of a winter sports tourist destination, with skiers’ transport and accommodation proving most polluting.
• Carbon emissions could nevertheless rise as people travel further and further afield to find snow.

The research laboratory to which Hugues François belongs (INRAE, Lyon Grenoble Center, LESSEM) has received funding from various public and private organizations for its research projects The Météo-France department (DCSC) for which Raphaëlle Samacoïts works has received funding from various public and private organizations for its research projects. The research laboratory to which Samuel Morin belongs (CNRM, Météo-France - CNRS) has received funding from various public and private organizations for its research projects.

• LONDON, Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today announced it has joined the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) as the first member with risk capital capabilities.
• IETA is a non-profit organization that seeks to establish an international framework for trading in greenhouse gas emission reductions while balancing economic efficiency with environmental integrity and social equity.
• Innovation in data, analytics and risk transfer solutions enable Aon to help clients accelerate their investments in decarbonization and climate resiliency and aid in the transition to a lower-carbon economy.
• Aon will contribute to the continuing efforts of IETA in building integrity in greenhouse gas emissions trading and market activities.

• This Antarctic “bottom water” then spreads north along the sea floor in deep ocean currents, before slowly rising, thousands of kilometres away.
• In this way, Antarctica drives a global network of ocean currents called the “overturning circulation” that redistributes heat, carbon and nutrients around the globe.
• Our measurements show the overturning circulation has slowed by almost a third (30%) and deep ocean oxygen levels are declining.
• Read more:
  Torrents of Antarctic meltwater are slowing the currents that drive our vital ocean 'overturning' – and threaten its collapse

Why does this matter?

• The shrinking oxygen-rich bottom water layer is then replaced by warmer waters that are lower in oxygen, further reducing oxygen levels.
• Ocean animals, large and small, respond to even small changes in oxygen.
• The overturning circulation carries carbon dioxide and heat to the deep ocean, where it is stored and hidden from the atmosphere.

Signs of a worrying change

• The Southern Ocean is remote and home to the strongest winds and biggest waves on the planet.
• Nevertheless, repeated full-depth measurements taken from ship voyages have provided glimpses into the changes underway in the deep ocean.
• Time to take our medicine

  These signs point to a worrying change, but there are still no direct observations of the deep overturning circulation.

What did we do?

• The full-depth measurements collected by ships provide snapshots of ocean density, but are usually repeated about once a decade.
• Moored instruments, on the other hand, provide continuous measurements of density and speed, but only for a limited time at a particular location.
• Our study focused on a deep basin south of Australia that receives bottom water from several sources.
• These sources lie downstream of large meltwater inputs, so this region is likely to provide an early warning of climate-induced deep ocean changes.

What next?

• We are almost certain to cross the 1.5℃ global warming threshold by 2027.
• More ice loss will mean more freshening, so we can anticipate the slowdown in circulation and deep oxygen losses will continue.
• The overturning circulation extends throughout the global ocean and influences the pace of climate change and sea level rise.

• MOORESVILLE, N.C., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- EarthKind , makers of naturally smarter plant-based pest prevention products, provides guidelines on preparing homes against displaced critters during this hurricane season.
• Along with the expensive damage and devastation that hurricanes leave behind, the wreckage caused by these natural disasters displaces a host of animals and pests.
• Meteorologist Ashley Smith indicated that "we can expect above-average activity (14-21 named storms) in the Atlantic Ocean this year.
• Media interested in knowing more about EarthKind please contact Janelle Dunbar at [email protected] or 516-242-7677.