Balmy Alps Spoil Europe's Winter Sports

According to Swiss environmental authorities, global warming is impacting the Swiss Alps harder than other regions, affecting the country's tourism industry and hydroelectric power supply at an alarming rate. The findings are based on a recent report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. While some mountain areas are already experiencing less snow, The Swiss believe a new law limiting energy use and emission gases may help reduce future damage.

That's welcome news to the country's tourist industry. A study carried out at the University of Zurich shows that if temperatures rise by about 2C over the next 50 years, as some experts predict, ski resorts below 1,500 m may not have enough snow to attract tourists. "In the 1970s it was still possible to ski between 800 m and 1,200 m above sea level," says Professor Hans Elsasser, coordinator of the Zurich study. "Now snow is guaranteed only above 1,200 m. We are forecasting that in the next few decades the snowline will rise above 1,800 m." That could mean that fewer than half of the country's 230 regions will still be viable as ski resorts, meaning that $675 million in annual revenue will melt away. Full Story...