Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet today. What happens to local communities when the environment, on which their livelihoods depend, is irreversibly changed?

We are proud to be partnered with Protect Our Winters UK (POW), a chapter of the worldwide Protect Our Winters (POW), a non-profit organisation that harnesses the passion of snowsports enthusiasts as a force against climate change.

Safe levels of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere should sit below 330ppm. Right now, our carbon dioxide level is over 410 ppm and increasing. As carbon dioxide levels rise, the planet gets hotter, glaciers melt and winters begin to disappear.

Before the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1750, CO2 levels sat at around 280 ppm. That 46% increase and the resultant global warming is human-created.

The latest press release from Edinburgh-based POW UK shares insights from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere. The IPCC predicts that the “retreat of the high mountain cryosphere will continue to adversely affect recreational activities, tourism, and cultural assets.”

 

IPCC Report Findings

Their latest report findings include the following key facts:

  • “In several regions, worsening route safety has reduced mountaineering opportunities (medium confidence). Variability and decline in natural snow cover have compromised the operation of low-elevation ski resorts (high confidence).”
  • “Global-scale glacier mass loss, permafrost thaw, and decline in snow cover and Arctic sea ice extent are projected to continue in the near-term (2031–2050) due to surface air temperature increases (high confidence), with unavoidable consequences for river runoff and local hazards (high confidence).”
  • “The rates and magnitudes of these cryospheric changes are projected to increase further in the second half of the 21st century in a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario (high confidence).”

Read the full IPCC Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere here

Read POW UK’s 2018 Impact Report

What is Protect Our Winters?

POW is a charity organisation made up of a group of companies, athletes, thought pioneers, individuals and business leaders dedicated to mobilising the outdoor sports community towards taking a positive and active stance against climate change.

It all started in 2007 with a simple observation by pro-snowboarder (and founder) Jeremy Jones. Unable to find resorts with sufficient snow cover at a time of year in which he would normally have no problem, Jones planned to take action. He couldn’t understand why no one else was concerned or doing anything about it.

In the 12 years since Protect Our Winters has grown from an idea into a worldwide network of over 130,000 supporters. A social movement on climate change, designed to activate a passionate community and create the political will for meaningful action by policymakers.

In recent months, they created an online tool which targets climate deniers on Twitter with a “fact avalanche” to automatically bury false information and POW athletes testified in the US senate.

The UK chapter of Protect Our Winters was founded in 2017 by a team of UK outdoor enthusiasts to strengthen the efforts of the global organisation across the UK outdoor sports community.

Climate change & the ski industry

  • Glacier mass loss for 2015-2019 was at its highest for any five-year period (POW UK)
  • Nearly 70% of all extreme weather events in the last 20 years were made more likely or aggravated by human-caused climate change. (Carbon Brief)
  • The last time Earth’s atmosphere contained this much CO2 was more than three million years ago (NOAA)
  • The energy sector accounts for two-thirds of all carbon emissions and 80% of CO2. (International Energy Agency)
  • 144.4 million people enjoy outdoor recreation each year (POW)
  • Outdoor recreation creates $887 billion in revenue, supporting 7.6 million American jobs (POW)

 

Download the full POW 2018 Annual Report here

“Right now, we have the luxury of worrying about how climate change might impact the outdoor industry. Right now, we get to help dictate the outcome rather than react to a foregone conclusion. If we sit on our hands for the next two decades, we won’t be worried about powder days, tourism or having fun. We’ll be worried about the stability of our environment, our jobs and our economy.” – POW

 

Sustainable, Environmentally Friendly Skiing

We are focusing on making every aspect of Camel Snow as green as possible, and part of that is offering a selection of luxury eco chalets that use the latest technology to operate sustainably, minimising the impact on the slopes surrounding them.

Go to Protect Our Winters’ UK Website

Go to Protect Our Winters’ French website

Go to Protect Our Winters’ Austrian website

Go to Protect Our Winters’ Finnish website

Go to Protect Our Winters’ Swedish website

If you would like to learn more about Protect Our Winters, and see what you can do to get involved, go to https://protectourwinters.org. If you would like to book an eco chalet or lodge for your next trip, please get in touch.