No Snow Job: Climate Change Is Melting Winter Sports Revenue
W
ith increasing temperatures making snowfall scarcer on mountains and winter seasons shorter across the United States, popular winter tourism industries may be headed downhill, with more than 200,000 jobs at risk. That’s the sobering prognosis of a new study from NRDC and Protect Our Winters (POW) that charts the economic impact of climate change and diminished snowfall on winter tourism in 38 states.
began in 1966. In the past decade, ski resorts lost an estimated $1 billion in revenue resulting from low snowfall as compared with higher-snowfall years. And shrinking numbers of wintersport tourists have hurt not only ski areas but restaurants, lodges, gas stations, grocery stores and bars.
A failure to address climate change will put winter sports in even more hot water, with temperatures projected to warm an additional 4 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of The winter sports industry’s dependence the century. As a result, the length of the on consistent snow is serious business, snow season will be cut in half in the East, with more than $12.2 billion in estimated and snow depths in the West will decline Ski runs at Vail, Colorado. revenue in the 2009–2010 season. The 25 to 100 percent. In order to protect winter impact of less snow is already apparent on the slopes. The — and the hundreds of thousands whose livelihoods depend winter of 2011–12 was the fourth-warmest on record since on a snow-filled season — we must act now to support policies 1896, with the third-lowest snow cover extent since tracking that protect our climate and, in turn, our slopes.
Don’t Frack with Free Speech Posted by: Kate Sinding, attorney, NRDC Community Fracking Defense Project
On February 12, NRDC and the Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy (CCSE) filed a lawsuit to protect a community’s right to free speech. What does that have to do with fracking? Speaking out about fracking is exactly what’s being restricted by the town board of Sanford, a small community in Broome County, New York. Last September, after taking a series of pro-fracking actions over a four-year period, the board abruptly imposed a gag order, silencing its citizens from discussing the red-hot issue of proposed new fracking in the state and the town. Sanford’s town board has called on the state three times to begin fracking — and to frack Sanford. First the board urged the state to “stand aside” and allow drilling, and then called on the All of the environmental projects and victories described in Nature’s Voice are made possible through the generous support of Members like you. If you like what you read, you are invited to make a special contribution at www.nrdc.org/joingive
state to hurry up and drill in May 2012. Finally, on September 5, 2012, Sanford Supervisor Dewey Decker signed a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo asking “on behalf of [his] constituents” that the governor allow fracking. The board has also taken concrete steps to bring fracking to Sanford — leasing town land, repeatedly making agreements with gas companies and supporting natural gas pipelines through town.
NRDC Member Melissa Bishop, Sanford, NY.
Understandably, residents reacted to the gag order with shock, anger and dismay.
After all, if people are silenced by their own elected representatives, how can they trust them to act in their best interests? NRDC’s Community Fracking Defense Project and CCSE are suing to overturn the gag order and defend the right to free speech. As Sanford resident Mike Musante says, “When the board chose to cut off discussion, they ended any chance that I might have to affect the future value of my home or the quality of the air I breathe or the water I drink. Without debate there is no democracy, only rule by autocrats.”
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When residents turned out in droves to open town board meetings in response to these pro-fracking actions, the board decided to shut down the debate. Although it had set aside a portion of its meetings specifically to hear from the public, in September 2012 it unanimously forbade the public from discussing the one most pressing issue that had brought the town out in force: natural gas development.
Melissa Bishop photo © Rocky Kistner/NRDC
SWiTCHBOARD
The following entry first appeared online at: www.switchboard.nrdc.org
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