Washington, DC – A new economic analysis released on Thursday by a pair of environmental advocacy groups claims that the $12.2 billion winter tourism industry, spread out across 38 U.S. states, has experienced an estimated $1 billion loss and up to 27,000 fewer jobs over the last decade due to diminished snow fall patterns and the resulting changes in the outdoor habits of Americans.
According to the new study prepared for the nonprofit groups Protect Our Winters (POW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) by University of New Hampshire researchers Elizabeth Burakowski and Matthew Magnusson, “Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States,” even tougher times could be in store for the industry unless climate change is slowed, stopped and reversed.
“Surmised from all this data is a portrait of the American winter landscape with more than three-quarters (38) of states benefiting economically from these winter sports and 211,900 jobs either directly or indirectly supported by the industry,” the report says. “… Without intervention, winter temperatures are projected to warm an additional 4 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with subsequent decreases in snow cover area, snowfall, and shorter snow season. Snow depths could decline in the west by 25 to 100 percent. The length of the snow season in the northeast will be cut in half.”
The POW-NRDC report looks at the current snow conditions and projects the impact of estimated climate change on skiing, snowboarding, and the snowmobile industry. The impact of less snow and fewer people on the slopes is already apparent across the U.S., the report claims. December 2011 through February 2012 was the fourth warmest winter on record since 1896 and the third lowest snow cover extent since 1966, when satellites began tracking snow cover. According to one industry survey, 50 percent of responding ski areas in 2011 opened late and 48 percent closed early, with every region experiencing a decrease in overall days of operation. Shrinking numbers of winter sports tourists also hurts the bottom line of restaurants, lodging, gas stations, grocery stores, and bars, according to the report.
“In the many U.S. states that rely on winter tourism climate change is expected to contribute to warmer winters, reduced snowfall, and shorter snow seasons,” said Elizabeth Burakowski, researcher, University of New Hampshire and report author. “This spells significant economic uncertainty for a winter sports industry deeply dependent upon predictable, heavy snowfall.”
The report released on Thursday largely draws a relationship between snowfall totals and skier visits, which historically is not surprising as it is supported by other research already conducted by the ski industry.
“The winter sports industry’s dependency on consistent snow is serious business,” said Chris Steinkamp, executive director, Protect Our Winters. “Without a stable climate, our industry, our jobs, the economies of mountain communities everywhere and the valued lifestyle of winter will be gone. Climate change is the greatest environmental issue of our time and it’s got the winter sports community directly in its sights. It’s our obligation as athletes and businesspeople, parents and citizens, to act.”
The NRDC-POW report claims that the largest changes in the estimated number of skier visits between high and low snowfall years between November 1999 – April 2010 (over one million visits) occurred in: Colorado (-7.7 percent), Washington (-28 percent), Wisconsin (-36 percent), California (-4.7 percent), Utah (-14 percent), and Oregon (-31 percent). The resulting difference in economic value added to the state economy ranged from -$117 million to -$38 million. In the Eastern region of the U.S. the states with the largest estimated changes in skier visits between low and high snowfall years were: Vermont (-9.5 percent), Pennsylvania (-12 percent), New Hampshire (-17 percent), and New York (-10 percent). The resulting difference in economic value added to the state economy ranged from -$51 million to -$40 million.
“This data reaffirms the fact that ski resort CEOs and trade groups leaders have a fiscal responsibility to both understand climate change and respond at scale,” said Auden Schendler, vice president of sustainability, Aspen Ski Company. “That should be the industry’s highest priority.”
While the report released on Thursday focuses heavily on the drop in skier visits during the 2011-12 winter season, in which snowfall totals fell well below historical averages across much of the Continental U.S., it is remarkably silent regarding the record 60.54 million skier visits logged in the U.S. during the winter of 2010-11, in which snowfall was the highest recorded in 20 years. In fact, over the course of the past 10 seasons, ski areas have enjoyed the best 10-year average on record, with 57.5 million skier and snowboarder visits on average nationally. Resort revenues have been on the upswing as well, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).
The NSAA argues that its member resorts are already actively working to offset the effects of climate change. In a press release issued on Thursday morning ahead of the NRDC-POW press conference announcing their report, the NSAA said that ski areas are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions through significant investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy including wind, solar, geothermal, micro-hydro and other sources.
“Ski areas have not been on the sidelines when it comes to climate change,” said Michael Berry, president of NSAA. “The ski industry took a leadership role on this issue over a decade ago, and we continue to advance that mission.”
Berry added that ski area owners and operators are well aware of the scientific studies and projections regarding the long term potential impacts of climate change, and adds that the industry remains optimistic about the future.
“Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities that provide outdoor recreation, exercise and family fun for millions of Americans,” acknowledged Berry. “Weather has always been a factor in our business. With help from Mother Nature and significant investments in state-of-the-art and efficient snowmaking, we are as excited as our guests to see a new season underway.”
The ski industry adopted its Climate Change policy in 2002 that includes a three-pronged strategy in fighting climate change: reduce, educate, and advocate. Moreover, ski areas have been weighing in on energy and climate legislation in Washington for more than a decade. In just the past year, ski areas sent three energy and climate change advocacy letters to Washington. In March, 81 ski areas endorsed Senator Jeff Bingaman’s Clean Energy Standard Legislation, S. 2146. In June, 89 ski areas sent a comment letter in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Power Plant Carbon Emissions Standard. Finally, in July, 99 ski areas sent a letter of support to Senate leadership urging the extension of the Wind Energy Production Tax Credit.
The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) launched a “Climate Challenge” program two years ago, through which participating resorts inventory their green house gas emissions, set targets for reduction, and take action to reduce their carbon footprint. In addition, ski areas across the country are using green building techniques, retrofitting existing structures to be more efficient, investing heavily in efficient snowmaking systems, buying green power for their operations, using alternative fuels, and providing or promoting carpooling or mass transit by guests and employees.