Skiing Despite Climate Change: China’s Latest Indoor Facility Embraces Sustainability

by admin
Skiing Despite Climate Change: China's Latest Indoor Facility Embraces Sustainability

Mr Greg Dingle, a researcher and educator specializing in sport and climate change at La Trobe Business School, questioned the sustainability of indoor ski resorts, particularly in the context of China’s climate commitments.

“Producing indoor temperatures cold enough for skiing activities requires energy, a lot of energy,” Mr. Dingle said.

“Given the energy intensity and likely tourist attendance of indoor ski resorts, my assessment is that they are probably not environmentally sustainable.”

Other experts, such as Mr. Liu Daizhong, East Asia director at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), have noted serious environmental impacts linked to indoor ski resorts that consume much more energy and water than traditional outdoor chalets and ski resorts.

“Climate change is having a significant impact on the ski tourism industry,” Liu told CNA, adding that indoor resorts must operate year-round and “rely entirely on artificial snowmaking systems.” and cooling”, which could lead to significant consumption of electricity and water. .

“Without effective energy-saving technologies, large-scale installations like this could weaken China’s efforts to achieve its carbon neutrality goals,” Liu said.

Citing the example that if Chinese skiers are required to travel to the resort in a carbon-neutral manner and stay in carbon-neutral accommodation, Mr Dingle believes this “may be in line with 2030 climate commitments and 2060.”

When asked how the L+SNOW resort could serve as a model for sustainable tourism, the operator told CNA that consumers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai previously had to travel to the snowfields of northeast China or even further overseas, which “generated considerable carbon emissions during the period.” the journey.

“But now they no longer need to travel far to go skiing, making the activity more cost-effective and energy-efficient.”

Mr. Ma, the ski instructor, says he sees a bright future for winter sports in China.

“Indoor ski resorts will have a positive impact…that is not limited by seasons or weather, allowing more people to experience the joys of skiing at any time,” he said.

“Skiing should focus more on popularizing and promoting the sport to encourage greater participation, while raising public awareness of environmental protection, thereby collectively contributing to the preservation of our planet.”

Source Link

You may also like

Leave a Comment