This was written by Samantha Schmitz, Moms Clean Air Force intern:
After getting to enjoy the Tokyo Summer Olympics just a few months ago, families have been eagerly awaiting the Beijing Winter Olympics, which is set to kick off in just a few days and will run from February 4 to 20. Yet the Olympics once again proves to be a microcosm that exposes climate concerns and anxieties. As a case in point, research has found that of the past 21 cities to host the Winter Olympics, only one will still have reliable conditions to host by the end of the century if emissions are not drastically cut. And while this is vastly alarming, the upcoming Beijing Olympics does also remind us that the world can indeed come together despite troubling and catastrophic pandemic times—something that will be required in the midst of the ongoing climate crisis.
Moms Clean Air Force isn’t the only organization sounding the alarm about climate during this Olympics. It seems as if our concerns are shared by a number of others who are trying to spread the word through recent pieces in a number of large news outlets. From NPR’s “Could the World Become Too Warm to Hold Winter Olympics?” to Smithsonian magazine’s “If Current Climate Trends Continue, the Winter Olympics Will Have Nowhere to Go” to Bloomberg’s “Winter Olympians Warn of Climate Disaster They’ve Seen Firsthand,” it’s clear that many people, including Olympians themselves, are troubled by the threat that climate change poses to the future of the Olympics.
As the topic continues to permeate mainstream news, perhaps the Olympics provides an effective opportunity to talk to younger children about climate change via a more palatable mechanism like sports. While there is obviously a time and a place to talk about the harsh reality of our changing climate as well, conversations about climate can come relatively casually while watching the Olympics, particularly as we will almost certainly see Olympians competing on artificial snow in relatively warm temperatures.
Artificial snow has become a common practice within winter sports, as it—somewhat ironically—provides a way for winter sports athletes to continue training and competing without being beholden to consistent natural snowfall—or lack thereof. In fact, many high-level winter athletes tend to go to the same training areas year after year and have seen the changes in climate firsthand as the weather has become more uncertain and inconsistent over time. In many training locations, there has also been consistently less snowfall, which has driven the increased growth of artificial snow. Unfortunately, however, athletes often report that artificial snow gets icier faster and can feel like a much more dangerous surface that can lead to an increased risk of injuries. And due to the relatively little to no snowfall near Beijing, it is seemingly inevitable that Olympians this year will compete almost entirely on manmade snow. But doesn’t it feel wrong that the best athletes in the world would have to compete on a subpar artificial surface on the Olympic stage?
This is just another consequence of the climate crisis, and unfortunately, the large-scale use of artificial snow is nothing short of an environmental disaster itself. The melting of artificial snow can pose serious environmental consequences, as it often melts weeks later than natural snow would, which disrupts the natural ecosystems nearby.
Moreover, other climate-related concerns have arisen around the safety of the games, including water scarcity and poor air quality. These concerns are not necessarily unique to the Olympics, but they come to the fore during the Games. Weather unpredictability, water scarcity, and poor air quality are issues across the globe that challenge sports and recreation at all levels. One particularly stark example of this is that Aspen Snowmass, a famous Colorado ski destination, has lost 30 days of winter since 1980.
At the end of the day, the Olympics, and sports more broadly, are so much more than just an activity to watch or even participate in. They’re also a lifeline for many people. From Olympic athletes who have made winter sports their careers to all of those who work behind the scenes to support them, from amateur winter athletes and the tourist destinations that support these activities, so many people of all backgrounds depend on the consistency of winter weather for their livelihood as well as leisure, entertainment, and even the broader economy.
Climate change is an issue that affects all of us in some way or another (with more marginalized groups being disproportionately harmed). The sooner that we all realize that, the sooner that we can collectively push our governments to take action on an international level. And although such a collaborative, international event as the Olympic games is rare and unique, it helps restore our faith when international cooperation happens and the fight against climate change can be done together.