Shockingly low snowfall in the Alps to headline-making climate action. Outgoing executive director of Protect Our Winters (POW) Europe Sören Ronge reflects on how for better or for worse, this winter has been epic and shares big plans moving forward.
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. It is already having a devastating impact on our outdoor spaces, and it is only going to get worse if we do not take action. The effects of climate change are already being felt around the world, and they are only going to get worse if we do not take action – and the outdoor sports community is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Our activities depend on healthy ecosystems and stable weather patterns. As climate change disrupts these systems, it is making it harder and harder to enjoy the outdoor activities we love.
But the climate risk to outdoor sports is just the tip of the melting iceberg. Climate change is also having a devastating impact on the natural world, from the melting of glaciers to the extinction of species. It is causing extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and wildfires, that are displacing millions of people and destroying homes and livelihoods. And it is contributing to the rise of sea levels, which is threatening coastal communities around the world.
Climate change has a particularly pronounced impact on the Alpine region. Like the Arctic, this European mountain range is becoming greener [1]. New research shows how the creeping loss of snow cover and increase of vegetative land cover, as consequences of climate change, have impacted the European Alps over the past 40 years [2]. The Alps are experiencing shorter snow seasons and reduced snow cover, more frequent soil water shortages and rises in the altitude at which permafrost is found [3]. Up to 92% of glaciers in the Alps could be lost by the end of the century due to climate change [4].
St. Anton (Photo: Chiara Pizzignacco)
A wake-up call for snowsports enthusiasts and industry
The multi-billion euro winter sports industry has been repeatedly identified as at risk to global climate change due to the close linkage between economic performance and climate through the availability of natural snow and suitable climatic conditions to make snow. This is a wake-up call for all of us who love outdoor sports and want to continue enjoying them in the future.
The ski season in the Alps has been getting shorter and shorter in recent years, and this is due to climate change. The economic impact of climate change on the winter tourism industry in the Alps is significant. The industry employs millions of people and generates billions of euros in revenue each year. If the ski season continues to shorten, this will have a devastating impact on the local economy. The 2022/23 ski season was a prime example of what we can expect to see in the future if no radical action is taken to tackle climate change.
To mitigate the impact of climate change on outdoor sports, action must be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for adaptation, invest in sustainable technologies, and diversify the winter tourism offer. However, to truly have a chance of protecting what can be saved for our winters, we need systemic solutions that affect policies, regulations and laws on national and European levels. We need to ensure that those sectors that contribute the most to our changing climate, are transformed and integrated into a greener, sustainable and resilient economy. We still have a chance to maintain global heating below 2°, possibly even achieve the 1.5° Paris target, but as the latest IPCC report has shown with irrefutable scientific evidence, we need to act with utmost urgency and drastic action.
Photo: Chuck East
Working together to fight climate change
That’s why Protect Our Winters Europe is working to fight climate change. We are a non-profit organization that advocates for policies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our outdoor spaces. We also work to educate the outdoor community about climate change and the actions they can take to help.
We believe that everyone has a role to play in fighting climate change. We need to work together to reduce our emissions, invest in renewable energy, and sustainable transport and protect our natural resources. If we act now, we can still avoid the worst effects of climate change and create a future where everyone can enjoy the outdoors. Our powerful community encompasses professional athletes, leading outdoor brands, talented creatives and the 60+ million strong outdoor enthusiasts. POW is now present in 10 European countries, organized under the umbrella of POW Europe.
We have many plans in store for you for this year, including continuing to provide advocacy opportunities for our brand alliance, building on the industry letter sent to COP27 last year; hosting our biggest European POW Summit yet; running two Erasmus+ projects and a VF Foundation-funded project to fully get onboard with DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) across all of POWs operations and make sure we include under-represented groups in our work; continuing to grow our athlete training program and rolling out the Hot Planet’s Cool Athlete’s (HPCA) program on a European level.
That’s not all! We are organizing a Sustainability Summit for the hardgoods industry together with our new global partner Atomic; kicking off a collaboration with the Citizen Climate Lobby in Germany to enable outdoor enthusiasts to directly interact with representatives and decision-makers; getting more brands to join as partners, to strengthen their sustainability and political advocacy; and further growing our network in Europe after we recently launched a new POW chapter in the Netherlands.
Photo: POW UK, Neil Irwin
Looking back on a year of impact – and looking forward
This year has already been a huge success for us, and we’re just getting started! We celebrated some major successes, both promoting cultural change and taking political action to make a difference.
During POW Mobility month, we had over 500 people participate in the sustainable travel challenge, and we travelled over 229 thousand sustainable kilometers. That’s ten times more than last year! We will work to make POW Mobility Month even bigger and better in the coming year. We believe that everyone has a role to play in fighting climate change, and by making sustainable transportation choices, we can reduce our emissions and help protect our planet.
POW Austria Athlete Ambassador and professional skier Julian Schütter recently sent a letter to the FIS, urging them to take action on climate change. The letter has since been signed by well over 400 athletes. We believe that the FIS has a responsibility to protect the sport of skiing and to ensure that it is sustainable for future generations. We called on the FIS to reduce its emissions, support the development of sustainable transportation options, invest in research on climate change and its impact on skiing, and advocate for policies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This year also brings some internal changes for us. After almost three years at the forefront of POW Europe, the time has come for me to leave POW to pursue other opportunities. Jonas Schneider will take over as the new Executive Director of POW Europe. We are excited to have Jonas on board and look forward to working with him to fight climate change and protect our outdoor spaces.
If you want to get involved with Protect Our Winters Europe, you can join our email list to stay up-to-date on our latest campaigns and events, donate to support our work as an individual or as a brand partner, become a member of one of our national chapters or take action on climate change by signing our petitions, contacting your elected officials and making sustainable choices in your daily life.
Together, we can make the difference in the fight against climate change.
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220602140840.htm
[2] https://www.popsci.com/environment/climate-change/climate-change-impact-alps/
[3] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/climate-change-glaciers-the-alps-mont-blanc/
[4] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55206215
Lead Photo: POW UK / Neil Irwin
About POW Europe
POW Europe helps passionate outdoor people protect the lifestyles and places they love from climate change. It is a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect the world today and for future generations.
POW Europe was formed in 2020 to leverage the power of its network of nine national POW chapters in Europe: Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy and the UK… and counting. Its national chapters are strongly rooted in their communities and have their ear to the ground on national and local issues. POW Europe transforms those local strengths into cohesive and impactful Europe-wide climate action. At the same time, it amplifies national campaigns, provides centralized expert support to the network and a single, coordinated point of contact for European partners.
Through its national chapters, POW Europe reaches an expanding community of over 100,000 people with its digital channels – add to that more than 3,6 million by its 130+ athlete ambassadors – as well as potentially those 60+ million Europeans who consider themselves hikers, skiers, alpinists or the like, comprising the European Outdoor Community.
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