Campaigners are calling on winter sports organizers to drop polluting sponsors as European ski resorts are affected.
advertisementWinter sports sponsors such as Audi and Equinor melt the equivalent of around 2,000 square kilometers of snow a year in carbon emissions, according to a new report.
For the first time, campaigners have developed a way to measure the climate impact of major sponsorship deals with polluting industries.
The findings from think tank New Weather Institute highlight the already obvious irony that winter sports are being endangered by many of their biggest supporters.
“Winter athletes want to focus solely on their performance; climate change It has a huge impact on all snow sports,” says former British alpine skier and Paralympian Anna Turney.
record temperature Poor snowfall across Europe has forced the cancellation of many alpine and cross-country ski races for the 2023-24 season, and many ski resorts have also closed.
“Snowsports organizations need to show courage and be brave,” Turney adds. “If we don't change, snow sports will disappear.”
“Dirty Snow” report from New Weather Sweden and its news malicious advertisement The campaign was released today to coincide with the start of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Ski World Cup in Austria.
How can I calculate snowmelt from a sponsorship deal?
car manufacturer audi is the main sponsor of the Ski World Cup, which will be held on the slopes of Salzburg from March 16th to 24th.
Campaigners say the multi-million euro deal will generate between 103,000 and 144,000 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent emissions). The climate impact is equivalent to 238,000 to 333,000 barrels of oil.
This estimate was obtained using a novel formula. emissions Created for every euro spent on high carbon sponsorship.
As shown in the report, the equation takes into account numbers such as a company's annual CO2e and total revenue. It assumes that the recipient accepts the “logical consequences” of helping to promote the polluter in question.
The report uses calculations of the known relationship between emissions and snowpack losses to EquinorAaker, Volvo, Prim.
The combined carbon footprint of these polluting companies amounts to melting 1,968 square kilometers of spring snow each year.
This is 195 times the area of the Ski Circus Saalbach ski area, one of the world's largest ski areas, where the FIS Alpine World Cup Final 2024 will be held. And he is 437 times larger than the ski area of Åre, Sweden's largest ski resort and a potential bidder for the 2030 Olympics.
How will climate change affect winter sports and ski resorts in Europe?
Europe's ski resorts are already being severely affected by climate change. By late February, nine of this season's scheduled Alpine Ski World Cup races had been canceled due to poor snowfall.
The outlook is grim. Winter in mid-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere is 4.7 days The current trend is every 10 years. In a high emissions scenario, winter could shrink to one month (from December 18th to January 18th) by the end of this century.
Athletes aren't the only ones missing out on opportunities. ski resort In March, we will be forced to transition to summer activities.
Others rely on artificial snow: about 25 percent of Germany's ski areas, 39 percent of France, 54 percent of Switzerland, 70 percent of Austria, and a whopping 90 percent of Italy's ski areas.
advertisementHowever, as New Weather points out, producing snow is an energy-intensive endeavor that further increases emissions.
Athletes and campaigners call on winter sports to cut ties with polluting companies
The bigger picture is that without significant and immediate emissions cuts, snow sports in Europe are effectively doomed.Campaigners claim that sports We have a responsibility and a role to play in realizing this bright future.
“The great irony is that the sponsors who pollute the winter sports world are also melting the ice and snow that the sport depends on,” said Anna Jonsson, co-director of New Weather Sweden. She said: “To secure the future of winter sports, all organizers and athletes must step away from polluting sponsors.”
“Every dollar or euro of sponsorship from a major polluter is like a torch that lights the future of winter sports,” added Andrew Sims, director of the New Weather Institute. “They are using sport as a billboard to sell more high-carbon products that are killing our winters. And now, for the first time, we can put numbers on the damage their money is doing. Masu.”
The stars of the winter sports world are also taking a stand to be aware of climate change. “There is a clear role here for elite athletes to speak out and sound the alarm as important influencers in society,” says former Dutch elite skater Mark Oievaard.
advertisement“Many sports federations and professional athletes are promoting an ideal elite lifestyle that consumes a lot of products and travel,” says Scott, an elite Swedish cross-country skier, environmental scientist and climate calculator. Björn Sandström, a consultant, says:
“This sends a message to the younger generation and will encourage more people to strive for this 'glamorous life.' But the research is clear: we must leave behind these unsustainable actions that are leading us deeper into the climate crisis. ”
Report tracking the success of climate change campaigns in tennis and rugby
Amid the climate crisis, sporting events, teams and individual athletes are under increasing pressure to partner with polluting companies.
fossil fuel giant total energyFor example, it was targeted by African activists for its sponsorship of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer tournament.and climate change activist It has disrupted numerous events, from the US Open to the World Snooker Championship.
Sometimes these requests are granted. New Weather notes that several sports organizations have ended commercial partnerships with polluting companies.
advertisementThe Australian Open ended its sponsorship deal with oil and gas giant Santos after a grassroots campaign, while England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) rejected a commercial sponsorship deal with the US fossil fuel giant. exxon mobil.
To increase transparency around such deals, New Weather is asking sports organizers to disclose the value of their environmentally polluting sponsorships. It also calls for “companies that are major contributors to climate change” such as oil and gas companies, car manufacturers and airlines to completely withdraw from the field of sports.
“As a former member of the Swedish national ski team, I wish ski associations and races would stop promoting companies that are dissolving our sport,” says Emil Johansson Kringstad, a former elite cross-country skier from Sweden. .
