TELLURIDE – According to a recently published report by the National Wildlife Federation on the effects of global warming, Colorado’s ski industry has reason to worry.
Published on Jan. 28 and titled “Odd-Ball Winter Weather: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States,” the report outlines oddball winter events across the country and states that those oddities in weather events will continue if global warming pollution continues unabated.
For ski resorts in Colorado, the report predicts that winter weather will continue to become milder and shorter with snowfall inconsistencies. In fact, the report states that the extent of snow cover across the Northern Hemisphere has decreased by approximately three to nine percent since 1978, with especially rapid declines in the western U.S. At the same time, the last few decades have brought fewer seasons with extremely high snowfall levels and more seasons with extremely low snowfall totals. Illustrating the oddball behavior, the report compares the year 2007, when Colorado snowpack levels were 50 percent below normal levels; just a year later, Colorado snowpack levels were 80 percent above normal.
The report also says that precipitation falling as snow has declined by nine percent since 1949 in the West. At higher elevations, where winter temperatures typically remain low enough to maintain a snowpack, scientists have seen a trend toward more rain-on-snow events, which could reflect an increased likelihood of mid-winter rainfall. Lower elevations in the West are seeing fewer rain-on-snow events because there is less snowfall overall.
These continued impacts may not be good to the estimated $66 billion contributed to the U.S. economy from skiing, snowboards and other winter sports. Mountain destinations, according to the report, like Telluride, Aspen and Utah’s Park City, could see a 2,400-foot rise in snowline before this century ends, leaving many base areas without snow. All of the combined weather changes listed in the report could add up to shorter ski seasons for ski areas across the country.
“The ski industry is an interesting beast,” Auden Schendler, the Aspen Ski Company’s Executive Director of Sustainability, said at a press conference Tuesday. “A lot of ski resorts run in deficit until March. One of the problems we could see is a compressed ski season as a result of global warming.” He said ski areas may be able to handle losing skier days in November and December due to a compressed season but if ski areas lose the busy March month because of receding snow levels, it could result in the closure of some ski areas.
“If you lose March, you go out of business,” Schendler said.
Chip Knight, project coordinator at NWF and three-time Olympic slalom skier, agreed with Schendler by saying not only are the ski areas vulnerable to the effects of global warming but the economies that thrive off of the ski areas are vulnerable as well.
“The oddball winter weather is terrible news,” Knight said on Tuesday. “Local economies are becoming increasingly vulnerable and we are seeing, unfortunately, the changing face of the sport with much shorter ski seasons. We could have a 25-24 percent decrease in [skier] days by the 2070s.”
The report states that many ski resorts will be able to cope with the climate change by increasing their snowmaking capacity in the short term. But snowmaking does not come without costs. Through computer modeling and “real life evidence,” Schendler said, the temperature at night has been warming as well for ski areas and that snowmaking becomes “exponentially more expensive” in warmer temperatures.
With that increased need for water and electricity to make more snow, “ski resorts are going to find it difficult to make it economically viable,” Knight said.
As a competitor on the U.S. Ski Team for 13 years, Knight said he has seen first-hand the effects of global warming on the ski industry around the world. He grew up skiing in Vermont, where he liked its hard and cold snowpack, but increasingly found himself on soft and warm conditions. While training in Europe, Knight said he was constantly reminded of the deteriorating ski conditions when he saw receding glaciers almost every year. “The extreme efforts necessary to provide snow for the Vancouver Olympics are a startling example of what’s at stake.”
While the report outlines the effects global warming could have on the country’s ski industry, it doesn’t leave out other impacts the oddball winter weather will have on ecosystems, natural habitats and agriculture.
The 10-year-old old pine beetle epidemic that has spread through forests through much of Colorado and the Rocky Mountains is seen by many as a result of warmer temperatures. Joe Duda, the forest management supervisor at the Colorado State Forest Service, said that forests in Colorado have experienced erratic weather the past 20 years, with extremely wet periods and then extremely hot and dry periods, which “don’t kill bark beetles.” With the warmer temperatures and the changing weather patterns, a perfect storm was created for a beetle outbreak.
“The combination provided ideal conditions for pine beetle populations to expand and we will continue to have the right conditions for bark beetles to continue to expand,” said Duda. "Through 2009, we have a half million new acres of mountain pine beetle in Colorado, which brings the total to nearly three million acres. On top of that we have 124,000 acres of new spruce beetle outbreak in southern Colorado.”
Facing the grim predictions of the study, the Wildlife Federation’s Regional Outreach Coordinator David Dittloff said the first thing the country needs to do is reduce its carbon emissions.
Schendler agreed.
“What matters most is getting the message to Washington that business people in Colorado care about this,” Schendler said, adding the he was disappointed by the Jan. 25 announcement that Rep. John Salazar has joined a Congressional Coal Caucus, which is intended to provide a voice for coal in the U.S. House of Representatives. “I think he should write off trying to fundraise in Telluride or Aspen. These are constituencies that depend entirely upon the climate.”
To view the full report visit www.nwf.org/.
It's all dependent on what you see as the "extremes" of the time and place. Hence, during the reconstruction, even something as abhorrent as Jim Crow was seen as the middle ground.
Have a great evening.
Some things are black. Some things are white. Some things are gray. The person who believes everything is always gray and the truth is always in the middle is simply taking the easy way out. This is intellectually lazy.
Some things are true. Some things are false. The fact that one person sees a thing as true and another sees the same thing as false does not, ipso facto, mean the truth is in the middle.
In fact, in the middle, it is entirely possible that nobody is right.
Now for the friendly debate. First I cannot even begin to argue the analogy of Jim Crow in relation to Global Warming because frankly, it is simply a silly argument and one that not only forgets to evaluate how we got to the Jim Crow laws and how many Americans (middle ground views) worked to right it but refuses to acknowledge that today we can celebrate that our country has an African American President. I sincerely doubt anyone with an education would compare enslaving another human being to the debate on global warming.
Second point: We all "pollute a little", and to demand that everyone in America STOP doing anything that might pollute is extremist at this point in history. Should we work together to do better? Of course, but do you extremists really believe that comparing global warming to slavery, or calling names like children to those you disagree with, or voting on one issue is really going to solve anything? It is admirable that some in Telluride have passionate feelings on right and wrong based on your education or background, but not everyone agrees with you - from either side.
So the question is raised: Are extremists, like those that often post here, really looking for a solution to the problem or is it that the extremists simply believe that bullying in the name of their cause somehow makes them appear so very dedicated to whatever the cause of the month is that they are trumpeting?
Wars are waged by extremists for the exact same reason as those that post hate and contention on sites like these. This being an inability to forgive; a refusal to try to see both sides in solving a crisis or a problem; and in many cases it is just that it is easier to drop bombs and kill those you disagree with, than actually working together to find a common solution to a common problem. In American politics and most notably Telluride, the bombs are attacks on someones character or illogical analogies as was attempted below.
I can never understand the hatred coming out of both sides of the political spectrum on issues that can be solved with cooperation. But cooperation takes work and it is soooooo much easier to just name call, attack individuals and proclaim that YOUR side is 100% right no matter what is proven or disproven.
You all live in one of the most gorgeous places on planet Earth - I would think that your gratefulness and inner peace would help in setting the example on how different and valid viewpoints can be merged into a solution that minimizes the hatred and partisianship that has done more damage to America than 1000 Bushies and 1000 Obamatrons combined.
America will move to the middle someday, but in the meantime the extremists will shout the loudest, judge others vocally, name call, and attend tea party conventions or join MoveOn.org.
None of which does anything to really solve our many problems - but hey, if it makes you happy to disparage others and their beliefs, go for it. While the freedom in America allows you do this, only your own heart can tell you if it is for the right reasons.
As for me, I will continue to register as an independent and vote for the most qualified candidate regardless of party affiliation. Personally, I believe if more Americans would do this we could actually solve the many challenges facing our Country - but the politics of hate forged by both the Dems and Repubs is so ingrained into "shallow thinkers" that I doubt any of us will see it in our lifetimes.
Tolerance is such a cool thing.
It may be Marmot's opinion that we can pollute as much as we want and it may be your opinion that we can pollute somewhat less than marmot thinks we can (the so-called middle ground), but to think we can continue impacting our carbon budget as we have in the past is probably naive.
until now, when it has been hijacked by a non-American born president intent on bringing America to its knees with outrageous bungling of the markets, the cap and tax and subsidized health care for everyone..and of course, kneeling at the altar of global warming..
On one side you have the "world is ending" bunch trying to make a buck off of carbon sales while on the other side you have those that suck off the teet of industry claiming that Al Gore is the anti-Christ. In the meantime, the majority of Americans try to do the right thing (environmentally) every day.
The fact that folks are trying to make some money off marketing and then solving global warming is cool with me as long as they do it honestly and without the whole fear thing. It makes financial sense to "green up" some things. After the recent black out due to a power drain, I would think the idea of Gondola on solar is a pretty good idea - as long as you don't try to sell it to me as some moral cause.
Likewise, the plastic bag competition made both financial and Earth-friendly sense. But please don't tell me that by hauling my overly-priced produce home from the market that I am somehow enlightened and now welcome at the Prius Hybrid social gatherings.
So if some guy over in Sweden fudged the numbers on his glacier work so he could get home in time to watch "Lost", big f-ing deal. It does not change the fact that we could be doing better on renewable energy and we should be.
With the utmost respect to the Professor Marmot, we have been surpassed in several areas - education, the tallest building, industrial output, worker productivity, the fastest train, etc. BUT, that is not what has made America great in the past. Our greatness has always been the principals on which this great country was founded. Our Constitution is the measuring stick.
Moral of the story: Extremism is for the lonely and scared. The truth is always somewhere in the middle.
It's a shame that so many Americans are too stupid not to keep up. witness the U.S. car industry. How is all that SUV technology working out for Detroit? But I guess maybe this country needs to be relegated to third-world status so the morons can think about catching up.
Try science fro a change Chumps.
Did you hear the one about the Himalaya's being glacier free in 2035? Oh, right, the report was rigged, the guy in charge of telling us it was rigged at the UN was bought off by the lure of ever more public grant money for this lunacy....
Al Gore lost the election and is much more dangerous than Bush ever was