Global Warming Forces Closure of Ski Resort in French Alps

Abondance is a small town in in the French Alps. It has a population of only about 1,300. For more than 40 years the main source of income for those people has been the tourist trade - from its ski area. Now, though, they'll be looking for alternatives - because the ski area is closing, due mainly to a lack of snow.

Abondance is situated at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level, which makes it a "mid-altitude" resort. Unfortunately, these kinds of resorts are experiencing more of the effects of global warming than those at higher elevations. In fact, Transmontagne, a company that runs several mid-altitude ski areas in Europe, is now in bankruptcy. Its financial problems, like those of Abondance, are mostly due to warmer weather, which is affecting both the amount of snow and the length of the ski season - both of which in turn affect visitor counts and, ultimately, revenue.

The average temperature in the French Alps is going up. It's a difference of only a couple of degrees, but that's enough to speed up the melting of the snow cover and shorten the ski season by as much as a month. And as the snow cover recedes, the least successful resorts will be those at lower elevations - and not just in Europe. The effect will eventually be noticed in other countries with lower-altitude resorts, like Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and even some parts of the United States - where it's been estimated that the average temperature could rise as much as 15 degrees by the end of the 21st century.

A lot has been written (and filmed) about the problem of global warming. There's still controversy about the long-term effects of greenhouse gas emissions (like carbon dioxide), which are part of the warming trend. Some people and even countries - the United Kingdom, for example - are taking the threat very seriously, and are making a concerted effort to reduce emissions. Others don't believe it's really a problem, possibly because right now we're not seeing much in the way of extremes. But some scientists believe that the effect of what's happening now may not be felt for another 50 years, and if we don't start taking action right away it may eventually too late to reverse the trend.

The Alps seem to be more vulnerable to the warming tendency. And while the experiences of the people and weather-related businesses there may seem like isolated incidents, they may actually be just a harbinger of what's to come for the rest of the world.