As promised in my last post: more on winters and how they're most likely getting shorter in the areas used for snowsports tourism. Also promised: an entirely different take on the topic this time.
Today I'm going to focus on the communication of climate and environmental change to people who often feel they are not personally affected by it. As far as direct effects go, shorter winters do have direct implications on a number of people. A shorter winter season is going to affect flora and fauna due to ecosystem change, tourists and especially the population of villages which heavily rely on winter tourism.
Only option: 'praying' for snow? (Source: shredstuff)
From experience I know that the winter sports community is a relatively tight knit one. Having a shared passion for an exhilarating sport unites people, and when you're on the same mountains for a couple of weeks per year at least, you'll always see familiar faces.
Oh so cheesy, but oh so true.
To get to my point: this bond is what POW uses to mobilise an entire community to become aware of climate change. POW stands for Protect Our Winters, an organisation that was set up in 2007, by pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones. Professional riders, such as Gretchen Bleiler and Nicolas Müller, get educated and then re-educate people at schools and universities. Because the faces of the snow sports industry are also the faces of this project, they can have a major impact on the usual 'I don't care because it doesn't affect me'-attitude. They've made climate change a topic that feels relevant to people of all kinds of background and education, because it is threatening something they all love: the snow and their sport.
"Our mission is to engage and mobilize the winter sports community to
lead the fight against climate change."
As I've been following POW for a while and am a huge fan of this project, I have been in touch with the executive director on how a collaboration with UCL and the UCLU snowsports society might be a possibility. In the mean time, please have a look at their website and especially the POW SEVEN: the seven points to become involved and make a difference.
See you next time!
I am happy that you picked a topic that is so relevant and important in the huge sphere of climatology (and close to my heart.) Glad to see that you are so passionate about it and it relates to your everyday life. Excited to see more personal pictures !
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, what a motivating comment!
ReplyDeleteHey Larissa,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting blog! I like how you are relating climate issues to your personal experiences. In the same vein, I feel that how POW is galvanising action by communities is a step in the right direction, by letting more people know how climate change is relevant, and would impact the things close to their hearts.
Best wishes for your exploratory talks with POW!
Joon, yes you understand me! That is one of the aims I have with this blog, to make others realize that climate change affects us directly and is not a distant issue that only scientists and policymakers are concerned with. So thank you for your motivation.
ReplyDelete