Downhill slide?: Modelling climate change risks across the global ski industry

Natalie’s Mitacs Globalink research program contributes to a climate change challenge prioritized by two UN organizations: (1) the UN World Tourism Organization’s Tourism for Sustainable Development Goals and (2) UN COP24 Sports for Climate Action Framework. With it’s direct dependence on climate, the multi-billion dollar global ski industry is considered a climate change “canary in the coal mine” for the sport and tourism sectors, with far-reaching impacts for mountain communities. Natalie’s research will use and build on the SkiSim model to assess current and future climate risk in under-researched ski tourism regions in North and South America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The research will address priority regional gaps and advance the sustainability module (water, CO2 emissions) of the model, enable evidence-based industry and government decision-making on climate adaptation, and help inform climate resilient transformations in tourism dependent mountain regions. The knowledge gained through the Mitacs Globalink research program will create international cross-sector collaborations and have strong export potential for the many regions and sectors that will inevitably face similar risks as climate change accelerates.

Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Scott

Student:

Partner:

University of Innsbruck

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: