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Park City considers Al Gore environmental initiative

Jay Hamburger THE PARK RECORD

City Hall officials this week plan to consider whether Park City should join an environmental initiative organized by a group involving Al Gore, the former vice president and a well-known activist in climate change issues.

Mayor Jack Thomas and the Park City Council on Thursday are scheduled to discuss the Climate Reality Project initiative, called I Am Pro Snow. The initiative deals with topics that Park City leaders regularly address as part of City Hall’s broad environmental programs.

City Hall and others in Park City ascribe to the idea that it is important to combat a changing climate since the community’s economy is heavily reliant on the ski industry. There is concern that a changing climate could someday devastate the industry.

The Climate Reality Project earlier drafted a letter to world leaders addressing winter sports. The three-page letter outlines the damage that could be caused if a changing climate impacts snowfall.

"Around the planet, winter sports and mountain communities are seeing firsthand what scientists have been saying for decades: our snow is disappearing due to climate change," the letter to world leaders says.

It also says "snow cover is shrinking rapidly across the Northern Hemisphere . . ." The letter says the ski industry in the U.S. "suffered losses from lower snowfall winters costing over $1 billion in revenue and up to 27,000 jobs between 1999-2010 alone."

"Climate change means that only 10 of the 19 cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics will be cold enough to host them again by 2050, and by 2100, only 6," the letter says.

It presses the leaders to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and to cap rising temperatures.

The Climate Reality Project said early in the week more than 150 signatories support the initiative. The I Am Pro Snow website early in the week included a feature with Ted Ligety, an Olympic champion skier who hails from Park City.

An Old Town resident approached City Hall about joining the initiative. Bryn Carey, the owner of a ski-rental delivery service called Ski Butlers, said there probably will not be skiing in North America by 2100 if climate change is not addressed.

"The culture of the town will be completely different," Carey said.

The mayor and the City Council are scheduled to spend 10 minutes talking about the initiative starting at 4:20 p.m. It is likely the elected officials will signal whether they want City Hall to join the Climate Reality Project. The letter to world leaders touches on topics the municipal government embraced over the years.

The mayor on Monday acknowledged that some world leaders who must address global topics like peace, poverty and starvation might not be as interested in the initiative. But the issues outlined in the statement are important in a place like Park City, he said. A changing climate presents a danger to Park City by the "negative impact on the ski industry," Thomas said.

"We’re a winter resort community, for the most part," the mayor said.

Some excerpts of the letter to world leaders include:

  • "These changes have profound effects on the more than one billion people living in regions from the Sierra Nevada to the Himalayas who depend on fresh water and resources, which mountains provide."
  • "Snow has played a significant role in inviting us to discover the beauty of the planet, to spend time with the people we love and build families, friendships, and communities that endure. Snow is our way to wonder and joy."
  • "We are the café owners in Chamonix. We are the athletes in Vail that live for fresh powder. We are the families in Nepal that depend on the snowy mountains and the global travelers they draw."

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