Locals in a French Alps town overwhelmingly voted to close down a struggling ski resort in the wake of dwindling snowfall, fewer visitors, and rising debts.
The referendum is believed to be the first of its kind in France to shutter ski operations of a mountain, as The Telegraph reported.
What's happening?
Grand Puy, a 13-run ski resort tailored to families, has been struggling for years to attract visitors flocking to bigger mountains in the Alps. Built in 1959, the mountain's €20 (around $22) day pass cost makes it the third-cheapest resort in all of Europe, per The Telegraph.
Still, a consistent lack of snow has led to annual losses of almost €350,000 (around $380,000) and a nearly threefold drop in visitors over the last decade, according to nearby Seyne-les-Alpes' mayor Laurent Pascal.
In the referendum, 71% of the vote was to shut down the resort, with a 58% turnout. With that, the 65-year-old ski mountain is done.
"I feel like I'm in mourning," said Anthony Julien, the mountain's lift operator.
Why is the Grand Puy's demise concerning?
The Grand Puy's closure is far from an isolated incident. It is the fourth resort to shut down in France this fall alone, per The Telegraph. It follows news of the country's third-largest mountain destination, Alpe du Grand Serre, closing down under similar circumstances. Ski mountains in Italy have battled similar problems.
The warming of the planet is affecting snowfall, with alarming impact on mountain sports.
"Climate change is, simply put, an existential threat to skiing and snowboarding," Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), told The Telegraph. A study by the World Meteorological Organization and FIS indicated that many of Europe's biggest skiing destinations are in peril of not being viable by 2060.
The dangers to the future of mountain sports extend to the United States as well, with limited snowfall hitting the economies of mountain resort towns particularly hard.
Another concerning potential effect is the declining snowfall total's link to summer droughts.
What's being done about declining snowfall?
On a granular level, lots of mountain destinations are following Grand Puy's example in either shutting down or rebranding to other activities like hiking.
There are efforts like "Save Our Snow" by UC Davis and the Protect Our Winters organization bringing awareness to the issue and fighting to take action.
To address the greater issue of warming global temperatures, drastic measures need to be taken. Moving away from burning dirty energy is a key one, as clean energy growth is central to reducing carbon pollution.
Individuals can take steps like switching to an EV or installing solar panels to make an impact in their own lives.
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