Ski resorts threatened by global warming

AUSTRALIA’S ski resorts will not be viable beyond mid-century because of the effects of global warming, tourism experts have warned.

Scenes like this could be a thing of the past in Australia if global temperatures continue to rise.

AUSTRALIA’s ski resorts will not be viable beyond mid-century because of the effects of global warming, tourism experts have warned.

As the Winter Olympics enters its second week in unseasonably warm temperatures that have snow machines working overtime to ensure a reliable supply of white powder, tourism experts say our own ski resorts are exhibiting such steep declines in snowfall their future is bleak.

“They will not be viable if this trend continues, as we expect it to,” Professor Susanne Becken from Griffith University’s Griffith Institute for Tourism said.

Becken’s comments are part of a broader call to tourism operators and authorities to consider how to deal with climate change.

The Griffith University academic was part of an international research team that assessed the potential impact of climate change on the ski industry in New Zealand and Australia in 2012.

After conducting research at two Snowy Mountains ski sites, it was estimated snow depth at Australian resorts would be between 57 per cent and 78 per cent of 2012 levels by the 2040s, and between 21 per cent and 29 per cent of current depths by the 2090s.

“When we considered the number of days with snow depth at each of the sites in the current climate, the lowest sites were only just achieving the generally accepted 100-day threshold for a viable industry,” she said. “Our research forecasts Australian snow days will fall to between 81 and 114 per annum by the 2040s, and down to between zero and 75 days by the 2090s.”

At the Australian sites, the number of snow days – days when snow depths are at or greater than the industry’s 30cm standard – are now between 94 and 155.

“These changes will have an impact on future potential Australia-New Zealand tourism flows,” Becken said.

However, Becken said it was not just the country’s ski fields where the impact of a changing climate posed questions for tourism operators.

She said Queensland’s World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef – one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions – was also at risk from coral bleaching and the impact of rising sea levels.

Globally, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) lists 44 World Heritage sites as in danger, many because of the effects of environmental degradation or climate change.

These include attractions such as Florida’s Everglades National Park.

“Because tourism is so important to this country, Australia needs to be at the forefront of dealing with changes in climate,” she said.

While short-term measures, such as the use of snow machines on ski slopes, could delay the impact of climate change on tourism, Becken said operators needed to begin planning for the future, with diversification likely to be a key adaptation measure.

In areas such as the Snowy Mountains, she said tourism authorities were already making the most of summertime activities such as mountain biking and hiking to balance inconsistent snowfall.

“It is very important that the tourist industry understands how vulnerable destinations are to changes that mean destinations are no longer attractive in the way they were previously,” she said. “This is crucial not only for the international tourist business involved but also for national economies with development goals that often depend on a healthy and growing tourism industry.”

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