Adapting ski resorts, a big challenge

2024-02-15 07:30:49

While awaiting the national policy for adaptation to climate change planned for this summer, the Court of Auditors is drawing up its proposals concerning the resilience of mountain resorts.

The start of the season is very complicated for many ski resorts, particularly in the Pyrenees. Here is the beginning of a new era to take into account for mountain resorts, that of adaptation to climate change. “ In the country’s adaptation strategy […] to a France which is heading towards +4°C […]we know that resorts which are at low altitude should not bet on the future of ski lifts, but should consider 4-season models », assured Christophe Béchu, during an interview on France Info this Tuesday 13 FEBRUARY.

Because the lack of snow threatens European mountains on a large scale. In a study published at the end of August 2023 in the scientific journal Nature Climate Changeresearchers simulated the evolution of snow cover in 2 234 28 ski resorts European countries. Result : 53 % would be exposed to “ a very high risk » snow supply in the event of global warming of 2 °C at the end of the century. This figure would rise to 98 % for a warming of 4 °C.

According to the study, “ artificial snow has little effect in areas at low altitude or located too far south, as temperatures that are too high do not allow snow to be made effectively.” And for good reason, the production of artificial snow is only possible when temperatures are below -2°C.

The insufficiency of adaptation policies

On February 6, the Court of Auditors published its thematic report concerning “ Mountain resorts facing climate change “. The organization thus evaluated on the ground the adaptation measures of 42 stations in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Jura and has created a database including information concerning 200 additional stations. The report therefore lists six recommendations.

« If the survey reveals a decline in the economic model of French skiing, it also underlines that public adaptation policies are not up to the challenges », Shares the Court of Auditors. To reverse the situation, the report recommends in particular the development of “ plans d’adaptation » for each mountain resort and the conditioning of public funding on the existence and respect of these plans.

The Court of Auditors also wants to prevent the production of artificial snow from having too significant an impact on local water resources. To do this, it calls for linking authorizations for water withdrawals intended for snow production to climate prospects.

The Court of Auditors also points out the difficulty for the resorts most impacted by climate change to finance both the dismantling of obsolete ski lift installations and their diversification. In this sense, it calls for creation “ of a climate change adaptation fund », funded by the municipal tax on ski lifts.

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