Sam Haddad Words

Words Matt Westby Photos Xxxxxxxx

From melting glaciers to a rising snowline, the effects of the climate crisis in mountain environments grow starker by the season. As passionate outdoor people, we should channel our concern into action, says Protect Our Winters UK.

“I remember going to Chamonix in 2011. It was a lifechanging experience. I went mountain biking and climbing, and saw the Mer de Glace for the fi rst time,” says Lauren MacCallum, general manager at Protect Our Winters UK. “I didn’t go back until 2017 but when I did, I was shocked by how much the glacier had receded during that time. I felt like I’d been winded when I saw it.” From the Alps to the Cairngorms, the impact of the climate crisis on mountain environments has become impossible to ignore – whether it’s the dramatic retreat of glaciers, the wild temperature fl uctuations within a day, or the rebranding of resorts to emphasise their access to high altitude slopes, such as Oz en Oisans becoming Oz 3,300. For the small team at Protect Our Winters UK, who collaborate with the POW global charity network founded by the professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones in 2007, now is the time to step up the campaign for climate action.

“In the face of these catastrophic impacts, you can’t not do anything,” says Lauren. “You have to try and stop it.” POW UK’s goal is to create the most infl uential base of concerned outdoor citizens in the country – be they skiers, snowboarders, mountain bikers, trail runners or weekend hikers – and to push for systemic change. “UK politicians are not going far enough, and it’s destroying the places we love,” she explains. “The government has committed to net zero by 2050 but we have no roadmap to get there. [And] while the International Energy Agency said, as of 2021, no new oil and gas projects should be approved, the government is off ering new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.” Lauren is quick to note that POW UK is an apolitical organisation, as they don’t feel it’s helpful to nail their colours to any party’s mast. “The problems we’re facing are bigger than any political divide. We need to take everyone with us and put more pressure on the climate ambition we’re seeing from all the parties.” In seeking to build a movement, POW UK is urging people to stop feeling guilty about their personal carbon footprint which, Lauren claims, is a counterproductive concept promoted by the fossil fuel lobby to defl ect blame away from themselves and onto the individual. “There is [not] a plastics crisis because you didn’t recycle, there is [not] a climate crisis because you took your kids on holiday… We should feel empowered, not guilty,” she suggests, because the large carbon reductions we need will only be achievable through big system-wide changes at a national and international level. That’s not to say people shouldn’t think about their choices and make carbon adjustments wherever possible. But equally, they shouldn’t feel “perfection paralysis” – the sense that they can’t join the fi ght for climate action because they still sometimes fl y to the mountains or drive to the shops. “Progress over perfection is the key to eff ective campaigning here,” she says. POW UK runs community education and engagement programmes, and encourages those who love the outdoors to lobby their local MPs on climate action. They recently wrote an open letter to British Cycling to question whether Shell is an appropriate sponsor, and have been working on bringing politicians outside the corridors of power and into the landscape itself – such as Green Party MSP Lorna Slater, who joined them for a hill walk. “There’s no better place to talk about the impacts of the changing climate on nature, but also on our mountain communities,” says Lauren, “whether that’s the economic impact on guiding businesses for snowsports or mountain biking in the Highlands, or the cultural impact on local people wanting to enjoy the outdoors. It’s bad for business and it’s bad for people.” As Lauren explains, we all rely on healthy mountain ecosystems – in ways that stretch far beyond our next ski holiday, mountain bike or hiking trip. “And if we can’t stand up and say, ‘Hey, can we reduce our emissions, and dramatically decrease our reliance on oil and gas and look at better alternatives?’ then I’m not sure who else is supposed to do it on behalf of us.”

The Marmolada Glacier where 11 people were killed and eight hospitalised in early July

Hydroelectric facilities can generate huge amounts of energy

Harnessing solar power at the Glacier Paradise restaurant in Zermatt

1. Snow coverage in resorts under 2,000m has shortened by 22-34 days in the last 50 years.

2. Global heating in the Alps has seen an increase of about 2°C already, twice as fast as that of the northern-hemisphere average.

3. As a rough rule of thumb, the average level of the snowline rises by 150m per degree Celsius.

4. Resorts under 1200 metres are unlikely to have the snow to function by mid century – and 25% of resorts in the Alps are below 1200 metres.

5. It’s estimated that under a +2°C global warming, Alpine ski tourism could lose up to 10.1 million overnight stays per winter season.

*According to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, released in 2021

1% of all ski hardware sales at Ellis Brigham are donated to POW. Visit protectourwinters.uk