High environmental cost of artificial eye technology… CNN “The climate of the venue is unsuitable for snow sports”
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Eui-jin = As the Beijing Winter Olympics are held 100% on artificial snow, concerns regarding the adverse effects of artificial snow on the environment are growing.
According to CNN broadcast on the 5th, TechnoAlpine, the exclusive supplier of artificial snow manufacturing equipment to the Olympics, has recently introduced a new technology for artificial snow removal as the temperature has risen due to global warming.
In general, sub-zero temperature is an important condition for artificial snow generation, and has mostly relied on a ‘snowgun’, a device that sprays artificial snow.
However, as the temperature rises due to global warming, various equipment to complement the snowgun have been developed, making it possible to manufacture artificial snow even at higher temperatures and less precipitation.
The problem is that artificial snow manufacturing through this new technology consumes a lot of energy, requires a lot of electricity, and consumes a lot of natural resources such as water.
Michael Meyer, Asia regional manager of TechnoAlpine, said, “The equipment equipped with this technology can be thought of as a very sophisticated ice maker of a general refrigerator.
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it is estimated that 49 million gallons (185.49 million liters) of water are needed to make artificial snow for the Winter Olympics.
This is enough water for 100 million people to drink in a day, which is a significant amount considering the trend of global warming due to global warming.
Moreover, as the global temperature is rising, the amount of natural resources required for artificial snow production is gradually increasing, which increases the burden on the environment.
“The warmer the weather, the more energy it obviously takes,” Meyer said.
CNN pointed out that such a large amount of artificial snow was needed because the climate of the host city of the Winter Olympics, such as Beijing, was not suitable for snow sports.
In the Zhangjiakou region, where most outdoor events such as Yanqing where alpine skiing events are held and biathlon, are held, the amount of snowfall is insufficient due to the recent winter drought.
According to CNN, the average annual snowfall in the two regions is only regarding 200 mm, even at the average level without a drought.
The big air event, an outdoor event, is also held in Beijing, and according to an analysis by a research team at Loughborough University in England on the 26th of last month, the temperature in February in Beijing for the past 30 years has been mostly freezing.
CNN diagnosed that this ‘reliance on artificial snow’ is intensifying as the winter sports world around the world, as well as this Olympics, are trying to avoid being influenced by global warming and climate change.
pual07@yna.co.kr
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2022/02/05 18:36 Send
