PRO ATHLETES IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE SET TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE DEMOCRATS’ SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, will convene a hearing titled “The Fight to Save Winter: Pro Athletes for Climate Action” on Thursday, September 12 at 11:30 a.m. ET. The special committee, which is affiliated with the DPCC, will hear from professional athletes and learn how climate change impacts popular winter sports and outdoor recreation, in turn threatening jobs and harming the tourism industry.

EVENT:
Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis Hearing: The Fight to Save Winter: Pro Athletes for Climate Action

WHEN:
Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 11:30 AM ET

WHERE:
U.S. Capitol
Senate Visitors Center (SVC)
Room 202

WHO:
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Hearing Chair - Prepared Opening Statement

Mike Richter, President of Brightcore Energy; Hall of Fame goaltender for the New York Rangers - Prepared Testimony
Jeremy Jones, Founder of Protect Our Winters; professional snowboarder - Prepared Testimony
Caroline Gleich, Professional ski mountaineer and adventurer - Prepared Testimony 
Tommy Caldwell, Professional climber - Prepared Testimony

Snow sports tourism, which contributes $20 billion annually to the U.S. economy, will have to contend with shorter seasons and reduced snow cover. The industry is already feeling the impacts: the Fourth National Climate Assessment found, “Increasing air temperatures have substantially reduced the fraction of winter precipitation falling as snow, particularly over the western United States,” and recent research suggests the U.S. snow season has shortened by 34 days since the 1980s.

Roughly 20 million people participate in downhill skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling in the United States annually. Climate change will reduce participation in those sports and thereby threaten the roughly 190,000 jobs and $7 billion in wages generated by the winter tourism industry.

 ###