The second week of January brought hope of a snowstorm for the businesses of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
What is going on?
Ski resorts and winter sports shops were struggling due to high temperatures and lack of snow, KOAT reported.
Bluebird Mountain Sports assistant manager Wanonce Rakestraw said: “Normally, our season extends to the first week of April. Past seasons would have been the second week of April. But now, if things continue as they are, we’re looking at the last week of March, if not the middle of March.”
The warmer weather highlights a worldwide trend in which temperatures have risen sharply due to humans’ burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gas. In the United States and elsewhere, this change varies by region, but winter temperatures in the continental United States have risen 3 degrees since the pre-industrial era, according to The Climate Reality Project.
In the South West, this means drier winters that increase drought risks. In addition to the impact on businesses and economies, this “creep of the season” is stressing agriculture and ecosystems.
Why is this important?
Farmers rely on snowmelt to irrigate crops in the spring, while plants and animals have evolved to rely on seasonal cues for survival instincts including reproduction. People have similarly built their lives around the Earth’s rhythms.
“It’s been really slow,” Rakestraw told KOAT. “When places go out of business, you lose people, employees. You close early.”
Ski Santa Fe general manager Ben Abruzzo said his business was using snow machines to stay open. Others were not so lucky. In France, hundreds of ski resorts closed their doors, and some in the western United States could not open as usual due to a lack of snow. Excessive snow in the Northeast and Midwest highlighted the variability.
Warmer weather can also mean more rain, which can create flooding issues.
What is being done about the lack of snow?
While some ski resorts may be able to supplement low snow, they can’t stay afloat without more of the white stuff. Adapting to new weather patterns should be one priority, while investing in infrastructure and planning improvements should be another.
Rising temperatures at the root of the problem can only be mitigated by the transition to solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy, which do not produce heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere.
You can make a change – and even save yourself a ton of money – by installing solar panels, replacing your gas-powered vehicle with an electric one, and changing how you update your wardrobe.
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