As California’s historic drought marches on, the snow sports industry is more concerned than ever about a changing climate that threatens to irreparably damage the sport and livelihoods of which it supports. So this past week, 92 brands put their heads together, sat down, and wrote a letter to President Barack Obama.
The companies involved in writing the letter hope it will influence the President’s direction at the UN Climate Change Convention in Paris. Some of the companies, which include K2, The North Face, Rossignol, and Clif Bar are just a sample of outdoor companies and resorts who believe reduced carbon emissions will help save the sports they love and depend on so much.
Here are some excerpts from the letter.
- “The snow sports industry views climate change as an economic opportunity as well as an environmental issue. Our businesses support $62bn in tourist-related revenue, 964,000 jobs and $4.6bn in annual retail sales. We are united in our desire to reduce carbon emissions and transition to a clean energy future”
- “Your work is critical in moving our country towards a clean energy economy, driving innovation and economic growth and helping us improve our resiliency over the long-term.”
As an organization whose members do business globally, it is vital that this important issue of climate change is addressed from a global perspective, and that all governments step up to work on reducing the human impact on climate change. We think this will begin to happen with strong, intelligent leadership from Washington.”
“This represents every facet of our community and we want to make sure that the President knows that he has our support in advance of these tough negotiations,” said POW’s Executive Director, Chris Steinkamp