Winter is the season that is associated all over the world with white snow and fun through snowshoeing, sledding and skiing. However, the winters of recent years have been less and less marked by such moments. Mountains are areas where snow still retains its presence, however, climate change poses a serious threat to the certainty that it will remain there in the future.
Due to the increasingly obvious consequences of climate change, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have established a new partnership aimed at raising awareness of the challenges that threaten winter sports and mountain tourism. This cooperation, which was confirmed by the Memorandum of Understanding, represents the first time that the WMO, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, enters into a partnership with an international sports federation. Their joint mission is to point out the increasing consequences that global warming has on snow, ice and permafrost, as well as to strengthen the connection between science and sport through concrete initiatives.
However, the problem of the impact of climate change on the snow cover does not only threaten winter sports, but also causes deeper negative consequences. Many communities living in such areas depend on mountain tourism. As the WMO and FIS point out, ruined winter vacations and canceled sports events are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the problems that climate change brings.
For example, in the previous winter season, FIS organized 616 races within the World Cup, at a total of 166 different locations. Of that number, as many as 26 were canceled due to weather problems associated with climate change.
From a scientific point of view, WMO has already recognized the cryosphere, i.e. the frozen parts of the Earth system, such as ice, snow and permafrost, as one of its priorities, because global warming has already led to its general reduction. The reason for this is found in the fact that changes in the cryosphere have significance on a global level, taking into account that 70 percent of fresh water is in the form of snow or ice, and that 10 percent of the Earth’s land surface is under glaciers or ice sheets.
As pointed out a little while ago, winter sports are not the only ones affected by climate change, but also hydropower, traffic and the stability of infrastructure on frozen ground.
Switzerland is cited as an example, which hosts both the FIS and the WMO, and where glaciers have lost 60 percent of their volume since 1850, while the number of snow days at altitudes below 800 meters has halved since 1970. The melting of permafrost directly threatens the stability of the infrastructure, but also contributes to the increase of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, which further accelerates the process of global warming.
Joint initiatives
The agreement between the FIS and the WMO, which will enter into force before the 2024/2025 winter season, was initially set for five years, with the possibility of automatic renewal, that is, it will continue to be valid, unless one of the parties decides otherwise.
It paves the way for a wide range of joint activities and initiatives that bring scientific data and expertise from WMO and its national meteorological and hydrometeorological services to the heart of winter sports and mountain tourism, an area where the impact of climate change is becoming increasingly apparent.
Every year, both parties will define a plan of initiatives to be implemented, and the first ones are already planned for November 7, when the partnership will organize a webinar for all 137 national ski associations, as well as facility managers and event organizers, on the topic of climate change and their potential impact on snow and ice and winter sports, including a review of improving forecasting tools to optimize snow management around ski resorts.
One of the key messages of the partnership between FIS and WMO is that the climate crisis is much bigger than sports and represents a turning point for all of humanity. The joint efforts of these two organizations, guided by scientific data, are aimed at raising awareness and taking concrete steps to reduce the consequences of climate change and ensure the future of winter sports.
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Source: energetskiportal.rs
