Climate Change

How are the Winter Olympics affected by climate change?

Warming induced by climate change is putting the snow sports industry across the world at risk, forcing governments to resort to artificial solutions

 
By DTE Staff
Published: Wednesday 09 February 2022

The Beijing Olympics are being conducted by using almost 100 per cent artificial snow. This is the first winter Olympiad to do so. As the climate crisis becomes more aggressive, this could become the norm for future olympics.

According to researchers at the Sport Ecology Group at Loughborough University in England and the Protect Our Winters environment group, this exercise is energy- and water-intensive.

Over 45 million gallons of water is being chemically treated to generate snow in Beijing in a region that is already struggling with water scarcity. The need for artificial snow came about as snow became more erratic in low-lying areas where snow sports are practiced.

Warming induced by climate change is putting the snow sports industry across the world at risk, forcing governments to resort to artificial solutions. But what are the risks of artificial solutions and how long can they last? Watch this video to know more.

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