ARENA: What Is The Ecological Footprint Of Skiing In Austria?

What is the ecological footprint of skiing in Austria?
The Federal Environment Agency asked itself this question and then carried out a "climate check". The study looked at the factors of mobility, accommodation and activities that cause greenhouse gas emissions.

Getting there and back has the greatest impact on the carbon footprint. Air travel is the most serious factor here, as it makes an above-average contribution to emissions. With the switch to the train, the emissions could be significantly reduced.

In addition to transport, some accommodation options also have very high emissions. Five-star hotels emit far more greenhouse gases (GHG) than simple private accommodation and guesthouses. The type of energy supply to the hotels also plays an important role. Choosing an ecological hotel can also significantly reduce the climate footprint of the holiday.

The study found that vacation activities had the lowest GHG emissions. But what about artificial #snowmaking?

Austria's ski operations contribute to reducing emissions with far-sighted investments in the areas of sustainability and energy efficiency. 90% of the power consumption for technical snowmaking comes from renewable energies.

To put all this in perspective: A winter holiday in Austria with a car journey causes 7% of the GHG emissions of a flight to the Maldives.

With innovations and adaptations in the arrival and departure, the accommodation and the activities, the climate balance of the ski holiday can be significantly improved. We are pleased to see that more and more operators are ensuring climate-friendly holidays in our ski areas.

Source: Federal Environment Agency