These European cities won't be able to host future Winter Olympics due to climate change

⭐ Join our community and access the best we offer!

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Climate change is making many European cities unsuitable for hosting future Winter Olympics, as warmer temperatures and declining snowfall undermine reliable winter conditions

🔭 The context: Research used by the International Olympic Committee shows that iconic and former host cities, including Chamonix, Grenoble and Oslo, may fail to meet climate thresholds by the 2050s
• As a result, the IOC is considering rotating the Games among a smaller pool of locations and moving events earlier in the season

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Greater reliance on artificial snow drives up water and energy demand, disrupts alpine ecosystems and risks increasing emissions if not powered by renewables
• This highlights the feedback loop between global warming and winter sports

⏭️ What’s next: Future Winter Games are likely to concentrate in higher-altitude regions, rely almost entirely on renewable-powered snowmaking, and reduce scale through fewer venues, lower resource use and stricter sustainability criteria

💬 One quote: “Climate change is going to change the geography of where we can hold the Winter Olympics. There’s no question,” says climate researcher Daniel Scott

📈 One stat: Only 52 of 93 current winter-sport locations are expected to remain climate-reliable by the 2050s — potentially dropping to around 30 by the 2080s.

See on illuminem's Data Hub™ the sustainability performance — carbon credit purchases, total emissions, and climate targets of thousands of companies

Click for more news covering the latest on climate change and sport