NYTimes article: Why Can't Rich People [skiers] Save Winter?

[LiquidFeet]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/opinion/sunday/winter-snow-ski-climate.html

This article appeared yesterday, Feb 2, 2019. Good question, huh? Below are a few quotes. Comments?

If any group was able to get political traction and defend winter in the United States, it stands to reason that it would be the winter sports community — a passionate population more than 24 million people strong that includes some of the nation’s most affluent and influential citizens. Of the 14.7 million skiers in this country, 67 percent attended college and more than half earn more than $75,000 a year. In Aspen and its surrounding environs, nearly 50 billionaires have homes.
With the outlook for winter so dim, it is surprising, shocking even, that the ski industry and the alpine 1 percent it serves have not led the charge to slow climate change — if not to keep the climate safe for their progeny, then at least to save the snow outside their resorts and chalets.
....So with experts urging fast action to avoid serious consequences from climate change, where is the snow lobby?

The article goes on to mention the work of Protect Our Winters, the National Ski Areas Association, and the Outdoor Business Climate Partnership recently formed from a coalition of snow sport industry groups, the Ski Areas Association, Snowsports Industries America, and the Outdoor Industry Association.

 

[Andy Mink]

Just a reminder, please don't let this thread devolve into a political discussion. Thanks

 

[LiquidFeet]

We can talk about rich skiers and industry movers and shakers.

 

[Andy Mink]

We can talk about rich skiers and industry movers and shakers.

Yes

 

[rocdoc]

Thanks for posting. I came here specifically to post that link, and was glad to find it already here.
Just a quick notice, and possibly a reason productive change on this topic is nearly impossible: notice that the first reply is a caution against letting the discussion become political. Therein lies the terrible problem we have. The science of climate change is now "political". So, good luck to everyone actually trying to make a change for the better. This pretty much ensures that meaningful discussions won't take place - I am referring to the larger picture, not a skiing forum...

 

[scott43]

I dunno..money is a powerful motivator.. If you can make a billion dollars today, would you choose that? I'm sure they can find some other mode of leisure, or perform their leisure activity somewhere else. Most of those billionaires will be dead in 20 years.. I would think it'd be pretty easy to convince yourself that it's not entirely a problem if you've got huge cake. Very wealthy people love their money more than skiing I'm pretty sure..

 

[RJS]

Just a reminder, please don't let this thread devolve into a political discussion. Thanks

We can't have this discussion without it getting political for exactly the reason that @rocdoc stated. If there's a way to label this thread as "may contain politics" and allow political discussion, or move it into another forum, I think that would be productive. Otherwise, I will bite my tongue.

This is a very important topic that ties into the long-term viability of our passion . It would be a shame not to be able to discuss it here.

 

[pete]

Maybe it's inevitable that even with a lot more action, decades will still pass before the large ship changes course.

Being a Debbie downer today maybe my only consolation is the old saying in Summit county"People come for the skiing but stay for the summer"

 

[NZRob]

Thanks for posting. I came here specifically to post that link, and was glad to find it already here.
Just a quick notice, and possibly a reason productive change on this topic is nearly impossible: notice that the first reply is a caution against letting the discussion become political. Therein lies the terrible problem we have. The science of climate change is now "political". So, good luck to everyone actually trying to make a change for the better. This pretty much ensures that meaningful discussions won't take place - I am referring to the larger picture, not a skiing forum...

[Non-political comment] Herein lies the fundamental problem: an affluent, well educated and influential skier community worldwide that still can't even agree that climate change is an issue, despite overwhelming scientific research and daily evidence that it very much is an issue.

[Non-political comment] Apart from that, we have an affluent, well educated and influential skier community worldwide that is very much part of the problem and incapable of taking unilateral action let alone communal action - is it because although we share a common interest in skiing, we are part of a system that inherently rewards selfishness?

I wonder also how much traction a snow industry lobby is ever going to get in the political world when it's widely perceived by the non-skiing public as niche, elitist and only for the affluent?

 

[Ken_R]

Just a reminder, please don't let this thread devolve into a political discussion. Thanks

My first though when I saw it.

I cant comment more because scientifically+financially a lot can be done so the main problem is political.

 

[NZRob]

My first though when I saw it.

I cant comment more because scientifically+financially a lot can be done so the main problem is political.

Geo-politically you really nailed it @Ken_R . Look at what nations have achieved in times of war - imagine if there was that level of galvanisation in response to climate change. Problem is that means an unlikely galvanisation between the US, China, the EU, Russia and India. Or even just the top two polluters - China and the US. That isn't going to happen fast.

But going back to the nytimes article, which is about the ski community's lack of focus/leadership on the problem, is that political also? Part of the problem in my opinion is that the problem is so massive that no-one really has a blind clue how to fix it in a way that enables us all to carry on the way we have been for decades.

 

[Philpug]

Folks, the site has been very successfull since the launch with not having political topics and even though this one is based on skiing we see no way it cannot turn completely political. This is a topic that IS important but it will be near impossible for it not to get ugly and we feel it is better to err on the side of being conservative (not in a political way) than to open the floor. Please do not think we are not aware or insensitive that it is an actual issue, we just feel it is a rabbit hole that we can go down because there is no return. I am sorry to say, the thread is closed.