B-SIDE by Boston Globe Media’s Post

Winter adventurers, this one's for you. The threat to winter sports, like ice climbing, may rank low on the priority list of climate concerns, but they show a clear example of one way our world is changing. Read more.

Michigan’s warm early winter is not only wreaking havoc on ski resorts across the lower part of the state — it’s endangering traditional outdoor snow events in the normally frigid Upper Peninsula. Climate experts have been noting for years how rising temperatures are already impacting Michigan winters. Among the most notable effects are reductions in ice cover on the Great Lakes. The max ice cover over each of the lakes has fluctuated, but mostly decreased over the years, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

Join us THIS FRIDAY for our Climate Connection Business Webinar - On Thin Ice: The Economic Impact of Climate Change on Winter. The $1 trillion outdoor recreation industry is threatened by climate change, with warmer weather, unpredictable snowpack, and devasting storms and floods. Maine small businesses in particular depend on consistent accessibility and use of forests, rivers and lakes, mountains, trails, and the hunting, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, and other recreational activities connected to our natural resources. According to Maine’s Climate Future 2020, “winter is Maine’s fastest changing season, and this has a clear impact on Maine’s important winter recreation season and associated economic benefits. Controlling greenhouse gas emissions today determines the extent to which people can still be skiing in Maine tomorrow.” Register Now: https://lnkd.in/efxCJX-K

As this article points out about our very warm winter: ‘Less snow on the ground for the spring melt means less water available to irrigate farmlands and replenish reservoirs.’ That means less food grown overall, less exports, less locally available food in the farm markets and supermarkets. Food inflation, heading nicely down as of the latest numbers, may reverse over the summer months, as conditions in other growing areas in North American are not doing any better. I would dearly like to hear our politicians speak about actual ways of solving this increasingly worrying climate crisis. Instead, we get populist, simplistic solutions that have no bearing on the price of food. #dobetter #climatechange #food #foodsystems #drought

From weekend runners to Olympians, extreme weather is changing when, where and even whether people run, as heat, wildfire smoke and smog make certain types of outdoor exercise dangerous. "When I first entered this industry, it was almost unheard of to cancel an event," said Kirsten Fleming, executive director of Run Calgary. "Now, it's commonplace — every year, there are events getting cancelled for a variety of reasons that are all pertaining to different aspects of our climate." Head to the link below to read the full article about how climate change is affecting the running industry, with insights from Run Calgary's Kirsten-Ellen Fleming and other industry leaders. https://lnkd.in/gyxacNWd #runcalgary #runyyc #calgarymarathon #runningindustry #massparticipationevents #climatechange #canadianrunning

2023 did not end with a bang for B.C. ski hills. The holidays are supposed to be some the most lucrative days for ski hills, but little snow forced several to scale back operations or close. Having access to your own localized weather data can help businesses be aware and prepared when possible for trends happening in their climates. Read the full story from BIV News on how 2023 came to an end for many ski hills in B.C. https://lnkd.in/gsRCHiCC #SkiHills #SkiSeason #SkiResorts

❄️ ICYMI: A new study found that U.S. ski areas faced a $5 billion loss from 2000 to 2019 due to human-caused climate change 📈 Possible annual losses of $1 billion are predicted to occur by 2050, depending on emissions 🏔️ Even with reduced emission practices in place, the ski industry could still face shorter seasons and economic strain 📰 Read more: https://lnkd.in/e2CWDbCK #sportpositive #greensports #sportsforclimateaction #wintersports

https://lnkd.in/dhmMmCrG The hydrologic cycle, also known as the water cycle, is the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere. It is a complex system driven by the sun’s energy, which causes water to evaporate from the Earth’s surface, ascend into the atmosphere, condense into clouds, and fall back to the surface as precipitation. This cycle is crucial for sustaining life, as it distributes water across the planet, replenishing freshwater sources and regulating climate. Water exists in various forms throughout this cycle—liquid in oceans, rivers, and lakes; solid in ice and snow; and gas in the form of water vapor. Evaporation, transpiration (from plants), and sublimation (direct change from solid to gas) contribute moisture to the air, which eventually cools and condenses, leading to precipitation. The water then returns to the surface, where it can flow over land as runoff or percolate into the ground, recharging aquifers before the cycle begins again.

Sobering reminder from Ivana Saric of Axios of the way #climatechange is already, and will increasingly, adversely impact winter recreation: "Warming winters tied to human-caused climate change pose an existential threat to seasonal activities and sports, which require sustained cold temperatures and often snow." With the conclusion: "Shrinking winter recreation seasons will have a massive impact on host communities, where winter sports represent multi-million dollar industries that drive tourism and generate economic revenue" Bottom line, if you care about our winters do all you can to fight the #climatecrisis ... if you still want you and our children to have a winter that is. c Auden Schendler Protect Our Winters Allison Myers Geoffrey Grimmer Meghan Nutting Kimberly Schlaepfer Gina McCrackin Kimberly Langmaid Keith Klesner, PE Dave Munk Kristen Bertuglia Alex DeGolia Allen Best Don Holzworth Hannah Dixon #stopburningstuff #energytransition #renewableenergy https://lnkd.in/gC9rgERr

HOW COULD WE EVER HAVE HEARTHLESS KILLED MANY THOUSANDS OF WHALES? AND WHAT IS THE LINK WITH CLIMATE CHANGE? We brought many species of whales close to extinction The link with #climate change? Our selfish careless greedy behavior towards Nature as a whole! And now we are starting to pay the price for it as global weather extremes and catastrophes are multiplying and our #climatecrisis seems to have entered into a moving up trend (gaining momentum) and accelerating. And there is no way that we fix up (put back) everything we destroyed so far (and growing)...