Global warming is continually biting us in the ass (which we may have something to do with, who knows?!). There are a ton of minor and far-reaching consequences, such as polar bears, guacamole, and most importantly, our sex lives. Plenty of issues will continue to arise that threaten our planet, and the latest casualty could be winter sports. It might not seem like a major problem, but a world without skiing and the like threatens our economy and the lifestyles of many people.
Across the world, snow is disappearing due to climate change. The Sugar Bowl, a ski resort that’s been open for 75 years, closed early this year because it couldn’t handle the lack of flurries. In Russia, Olympic test events were cancelled a few years ago since so much snow was melted. Sure, it’s only the lesser of the Olympics, but still. They even started storing snow ahead of time to make sure they’d have enough for the games. The missing snow has even led to creating “artificial snow,” all in the pursuit of preserving ski season.
But how bad is the issue really? Pretty bad. A million square miles of spring snow cover has vanished in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 47 years, and the issue will only continue to get worse. Over the next 30 years, about half of all ski resorts will shutter their doors. Less snow means roughly $800 million of unrealized revenue and the loss of between 13,000 and 27,000 jobs in the U.S. alone.
So maybe we should do something about that pesky global warming? Bernie Sanders has got a plan, but let’s hope that other lawmakers get their act together and save our snow.
