Climate Change is Having a Severe Impact on Australian Winter Sports
(This story was originally featured in Chillfactor 2024)
Written by: Reggae Ellliss
Protect our Winters Australia has had its biggest year yet in the fight to recognise the severe impact that climate change is having on Australian winter sports and the alpine environments.
Over the past year, the organisation has grown from four volunteers to over 40, delivering several fundraising efforts over the 2023 winter season where we raised $65k. With this money, we have invested in a new climate change impact report in conjunction with the Australian National University’s Mountain Research Facility.
READ: Moments from an Australian winter
The first of its kind, this report shows the at-risk nature of Australian winters and investigates the broad range of impacts that a lack of snow coverage will have on snow sports in Australia, the businesses that surround it and the broader regional communities that rely on snow run off.
Who is impacted by climate change?
Australia’s snow sports industry is the largest in the world at direct and short-term risk as a result of climate change. What we call for is not only greater action at the community level when it comes to combatting our own carbon footprints, but also greater coordination to make government and society realise the substantial impact that climate change has the potential to have on our environment, livelihoods, and regional communities.
Our vision is for a future where our alpine playground and the communities and businesses that depend on it still exist.
How is Protect our Winters fighting climate change?
Protect our Winters first and foremost is a community-based organisation. We are grounded in the team of individuals that support us to spread our message and develop new ideas to advocate for greater climate change action. This exists in the Protect our Winters Jindabyne local alliance which we set up last year and will continue to run this year, but also exists in the communities built around ski lodges, university clubs, competitive snow-sports, local businesses, schools and so much more.
Through fundraisers, awareness-raising and having those conversations with the communities we’re all a part of, we can start to shift the dial in creating greater awareness of how critical climate change action is to our mountains.
READ: The affects climate change is having on skiing in the alps
In 2023, we delivered our biggest year yet. This year, we go further. Through fighting for cultural change in our community and raising awareness of climate change, lobbying government for greater recognition of its impacts on our communities, and partnering with businesses, we take steps towards protecting the unique alpine environment we love.
Our goal this winter is to truly unite our community and the many organisations that are its building blocks to fight for more action against climate change. For that we need your help. By following us on social media, buying our merch, donating, volunteering your time or simply talking to the people around you, you help us in achieving our goals for the 2024 season and beyond.
More from Australian Winter 2024 Season:
Best ski gear from 2024
The anatomy of a ski turn
The freeride force is strong in the youth
