During the Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Team USA skiers Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, along with Italian skier Federica Brignone, expressed deep concerns about the accelerating effects of climate change, particularly the significant melting of glaciers. Once visible from Cortina, many glaciers have diminished to small remnants, with skiers now needing to travel far to see larger glaciers like the Marmolada.
Vonn highlighted the alarming reality of glacier loss, noting that many glaciers she skied on as a child have vanished. Shiffrin emphasized their emotional connection to the changing landscape, advocating for policy changes to secure a future for their sport.
Italian glaciologist Antonella Senese reported that Italy has lost over 200 square kilometers of glacier since the late 1950s, with a notable increase in melting over the past two decades. The Goodbye Glacier Project warns that if global temperatures rise more than 2.7 degrees Celsius, many glaciers could disappear by 2034, underscoring the urgent need for greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Other athletes echoed these concerns, with several noting the increasing difficulty of training on unstable glaciers and advocating for environmental stewardship within the sports community. Overall, the looming impacts of climate change pose a significant threat to winter sports and the ecosystems they rely on.
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