Some numbers in detail: below 1000 meters of altitude in the 1970s, on the southern side of the Alps there were about 100 days of snow, now they have become about 70. While between 1500 and 2000 they were 170, now reduced to 140.
As if it were a small portion of the Arctic, the Alps are warming at a faster rate than the European average: over the course of the 20th century, temperatures have risen by 2 ° C, about double the European average.
Given that in the mountains, an average increase of 1 ° C is accompanied by an increase in the average snow limit altitude of about 150 m, it is clear that today the average snow limit is about 300 meters higher than a century ago. . And if the average temperature in the Alps rises another two degrees as scientists expect, in less than eighty years it will still be 300 meters higher than it is today.
These are only data and analyzes, but they can be interpreted as a warning for many Alpine activities and economies, especially below 2000 meters and in the south of the Alps. For example, at low altitude cross-country ski tracks become economically and economically over time. climatically unsustainable, while while generating greater economic income, also the artificial snow of the ski slopes, whose average cost is around 50,000 euros, becomes a risky expense.
The impact on Alpine tourism
In Italy, according to the Legambiente report „Nevediversa“, about 80% of the ski resorts are equipped with artificial snow systems. A process that can cost around 40 thousand euros per year per kilometer of track.