Australia has had its worst snow season in decades. It's left ski enthusiasts worried about the future of the country's alpine regions especially in the face of climate change.
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00:00 Hitting the slopes has looked a little different this year.
00:05 I think it's a bit of a washout.
00:07 Climate change is definitely having an impact.
00:09 It is a bit scary to see that there's this little snowfall.
00:14 Major resorts like Perisher have been forced to close some runs,
00:18 while Selwyn has had to close its doors a month early.
00:22 A lot of emotions come up when you do see the seasons like this
00:27 and you also know through the data and the models that we look at
00:33 that it's not a one-off.
00:35 Professor Ken Green is a backcountry skier
00:38 who has studied snowfall for the past 45 years.
00:42 He says it's been on a steady decline
00:44 as a warming planet dramatically alters alpine environments
00:48 across the world.
00:50 So many of the plants and animals in the alpine area
00:53 are only found in those areas.
00:55 So what's going to happen is that a number of species
00:58 are going to be able to move up and basically take over their territory
01:02 and I can see that meaning the end of a lot of species.
01:06 Warmer weather and less snowfall has meant a smaller volume of snow
01:10 and little to no snow at lower elevations.
01:13 So what does this mean for the snow industry?
01:15 Perisher says it's adapting to ensure the viability of its ski fields.
01:20 Investment in the snowmaking has enabled us, our guests,
01:23 to have a really good experience right from the opening weekend
01:26 through to the closing weekend in October.
01:28 Others who love the snow insist there is a future if people act.
01:33 Get people involved to be a lot more conscious of their choices
01:36 around their own greenhouse gas emissions.
01:38 A strong hope that the ski slopes don't disappear for good.
01:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]