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BEIJING — Thousands of Winter Olympians spend chunks of every year traversing some of the most picturesque places on earth. They travel from North American ski resorts, to Nordic utopias, to the European Alps. They take in the beautiful sunsets and lily white powder. They look around and cherish mountainside views and, increasingly, they also worry — because they see climate change gnawing away at all of it.
They see the glaciers melting.
Ice chunks tumbling.
“It sounds like avalanches every day,” American snowboarder Keith Gabel said. “You’ll just see snow waterfalls coming down the cliffs.”
They know that their seasons are shrinking and that half-pipes can be difficult to find. They are concerned about the future for their sports as they see natural racecourses changing to slush.
“It just won’t freeze for a week,” U.S. biathlete Sean Doherty said. “And it’s just kind of chaos.”
Some Olympians gathered in Switzerland for preseason training this past fall, and it was, U.S. snowboarder Jamie Anderson said, “A pure physical testimony to how gnarly climate change is. … You can just see the declining glaciers. … It is so horrible.
“But, I mean, I’m still here snowboarding,” she continued. “I know I’m just as much a part of the problem as the solution.”
She and others are well aware that by flying across Europe and requiring man-made skis, they are contributing directly to the environmental crisis that threatens their sport.
“It’s tough for the competitors to race in,” Doherty said. “But it’s also tough because our racing circuit itself is pretty high-impact on the problem contributing to the fact that we’re skiing in slush. Which is kind of a conundrum.”
It’s the Winter Olympian’s conundrum. It’s microcosmic of humanity’s conundrum. The planet’s health is at stake when joy and life expectancy clash with one another. The Olympians love things. They are aware that future generations might not love them if they indulge in these things. What can they do but retire?
It’s a conundrum many have grappled with, even as they prepared for the biggest moments of their lives, the Beijing Olympics. They, like the rest of society, have found acceptable solutions that are difficult to swallow.
“Our slopes are melting”
Every Winter Olympian and Paralympian that competes outdoors sees tangible evidence of a warming planet.
“Up on the glacier,” said Alex Hall, a U.S. freestyle skier, “you can tell a huge difference with what it looks like now compared to even five years ago.”
“It’s pretty scary to see it all happen,” said Red Gerard, the 2018 slopestyle snowboarding Olympic champ. “It’s definitely kind of a trip to watch climate change do its thing.”
“Our slopes,” Paralympic skier Thomas Walsh said, “are melting.”
It is clear to many of them, as U.S. freeskier Maggie Voisin said, that “climate change is real, and it’s here, and it is 100% affecting our sport.” And even if they don’t believe it’s an existential threat, they believe it’s a threat to those sports.
They don’t worry about World Cup circuits or international events. They are more concerned about the smaller venues that feed the Olympic pipeline and those without the resources. Create snow, the ones who rely on the natural stuff that falls from the sky, and who’ve had to Cancel Festivals when it doesn’t.
“The venues that we race at can make snow happen, can make the race happen, for the elite athletes,” said Susan Dunklee, a U.S. biathlete. “But my concern is for, as a snow lover, wanting to see snow in places where a general recreational skier has been able to ski. I don’t want them to lose snow access. And that’s a major issue with climate change.”
Although it is not often obvious, the problem is evidently growing. It is a Recent Nature study projected that the western U.S. will face persistent “low-to-no snow” predicaments in 35-60 years “if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated.” Some ski resorts in the region are already feeling the effects.
“Recognizing those challenges,” said U.S. alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle, “is key in order to keep our sport alive.”
Fake snow requires fake snow
The issue is that, in the short-term, greenhouse gases also keep sport alive. Cochran Siegle and others were among those mentioned in this story. The PyeongChang Olympic Games had an estimated carbon footprint at 1.6 million tons. The Games were responsible for more carbon emissions than many entire countries produce in a year.
Beijing organizers revised their footprint estimate to 1.3 Million metric tons CO2e. They also stated that they will offset all emissions through sponsoring compensatory initiatives. The International Olympic Committee claims to be carbon neutral. aims to make all Games “climate positive” by 2030. It has already Sports world leader in environmental progress. Despite this, the event consumes a lot of natural resources.
Man-made snow is a popular source of consumption, especially in the context of the 2022 Olympics.
Beijing was chosen as the host of the Games because of its low snowfall. IOC officials warned in a 2015 bid evaluation report that “the Games would rely completely on artificial snow” if held in and around the Chinese capital. It was approved by members anyway. According to environmentalistsThe planet and its inhabitants will be responsible for the costs. The organizers will use 49 million gallons, if not more, of water to build icy slopes that descend otherwise dry mountains. “Snow cannons” will shoot water droplets into the air; freezing temperatures and chemicals will turn them into ice. Experts say the process will exacerbate “water stress” in the region, and interrupt its natural ecosystem. They also warn that the process will require significant nonrenewable energy.
It becomes part of a positive feedback cycle. Fake snow contributes directly to climate change. There’s no obvious way to break the cycle.
Other aspects of winter sport include fluorocarbon ski waxThey have also attracted the attention environmental policy makers and sportsfederations. But sport’s biggest contribution to the climate crisis, experts say, is the travel it requires. The carbon-intensive aircraft and vehicles used to transport athletes, officials, fans and spectators to and from competitions can account for 60-80% of emissions. The Olympics are no exception. They often bring hundreds of thousands from all over the world to a country.
Travel is sometimes necessary. Participation in international sports can cause damage. Some Olympians have found eco-friendly ways of compensating for their environmental concerns.
Doing their bit
Susan Dunklee, who returned from the Biathlon World Champs with a silver medal and prize money in her pocket, realized that she could give it back to the planet. She paid for solar panels to install at her house.
“And it’s been a wonderful, wonderful thing,” she said. “It’s really cool to produce your own energy.”
She also traded in her car for an electrical one, another step towards doing her part.
In earth’s grand scheme, it’s a small part. One electric car, or one sporting event, or even 49 million gallons of water turned to fake snow aren’t alone going to determine the planet’s long-term well-being. This is the broader climate problem. No single person’s actions make a material difference. But they could all make a big difference together.
“So,” said Gabel, the snowboarder, “we gotta take things seriously and make small changes. It all adds up.”
The Winter Olympians’ solutions have been threefold. They strive to live green at home. They recycle, and they abstain single-use plastics. They also support companies that do the exact same. They recognize that governments have the true power to address climate change at large scales and support organizations like Winter Protection, a non-profit “advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.”
They do this. They speak. Their platforms, most experts agree, are an athlete’s biggest tool in the fight for the planet. “That’s the power of sport,” said Roger McClendon, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance. “It’s not what it can do within the industry alone, it’s what it can influence. It’s the influence that is the biggest horsepower of change.”
“And it’s encouraging to hear people have interest in it,” said U.S. skier Gus Schumacher. “To have a dialogue around the Winter Olympics about climate change, I think, is as important as our individual efforts to limit travel, and try to avoid plastic, and stuff like that.
“I think it’s really important to focus on as we go,” he concluded, “because otherwise, we’re not gonna have a Winter Olympics in not that long.”
