Climate change has posed severe challenges to European ski resorts, as shorter and less reliable snow cover forces them to adopt costly artificial snowmaking.
Statistics shows that the Alpine snow season in Europe has been shortened by approximately 38 days since the 1970s.
With natural snowfall becoming increasingly unreliable, many ski resorts have installed snow guns to maintain slope conditions.
However, while bearing rising operational costs, ski resorts have still failed to provide the same skiing experience as before.
"Yes, there are some differences. We have noticed the snow is not so good in many years, as it is not so compact, and there is not so much sun sometimes," said Tiago, a skier at the Sierra Nevada Ski Station in Granada, Spain.
"As the southernmost ski resort in Europe, we have seen more impacts from climate change and rising temperatures. Compared with other resorts in the Pyrenees or the Alps, we have more hours of sunshine. We are very close to the Mediterranean, so we have to manage the water and temperature very well. We have about 550 snow guns that can operate around the clock," said Paco Leon, head of ski run monitoring and technology at the resort.
In addition, the ski resort has introduced a containerized all-weather snow system this season, which can produce snow at temperatures above freezing.
"With this system, we can guarantee the stable production of snow whether it is sunny, cold, wetter or less," Leon said.
The higher costs have forced many ski resorts in Europe to diversify their offerings to increase revenue.
For example, Sierra Nevada has launched a mountain bike park, hiking activities, and music festivals in the summer to transform from a winter destination to a four-season mountain resort.
European ski resorts fight for future in face of climate change
European ski resorts fight for future in face of climate change
European ski resorts fight for future in face of climate change
Heavy rain in Gaza over the weekend killed several civilians, including an infant who drowned in flooding, the United Nations said Monday, warning that even moderate storms can have catastrophic consequences because of the lack of shelter and equipment.
The rains, which began on the evening of Nov 6, exposed the fragility of shelters, triggered widespread flooding, damaged humanitarian facilities and learning spaces, and disrupted essential services, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Speaking at a daily press briefing, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said that an infant reportedly drowned in the flooding and three children and at least one woman were killed when a sand dune collapsed onto their tents. Thousands of families have lost their shelters and belongings, he said.
UN humanitarian agencies and their partners have been pumping water from flooded camps, improving drainage, reinforcing displacement sites with sandbags and distributing emergency supplies. However, Haq said the response remains hampered by "far too little equipment and too few shelter materials" to meet the scale of need.
Speaking from Ramallah, Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said rain is natural, but people's vulnerability is man-made. Most people are living in worn-out tents that could not withstand what would be considered a moderate storm elsewhere, he said.
"This is, again, [as he mentioned] what would be regarded as moderate rainstorms elsewhere in the world, but because of the lack of equipment, because of the lack of resources and housing that can withstand this sort of shock, these are rainstorms that can have a catastrophic effect, including, as you just pointed out, on children," Haq said.
Alakbarov called for the urgent lifting of unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing humanitarian organizations from bringing enough vacuum trucks, mobile dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, blankets and winter clothing into Gaza.
He also called for urgent humanitarian funding, without which the humanitarian community cannot buy enough supplies.
The UN also said strikes continue to hit populated areas of Gaza and cause further casualties.
UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza after heavy rains
