The Winter Olympics Need Artificial Snow

Just before the Winter Olympics kicked off, Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Dolomite town that will play host to a number of the Games' alpine events, received a healthy dusting of fresh snow, easing earlier concerns about snow reliability after a warm start to the winter. But organizers have already produced more than 56 million cubic feet of fake snow to create the conditions athletes expect. 

It's nothing new. Machine-made snow has been used by ski resorts for decades to combat unreliable weather conditions—for recreation and competitions alike. Around 60 percent of the world's ski resorts now rely on snow-making machines alongside natural snowfall, and in 2022, the Beijing Winter Olympics relied on almost 100 percent artificial snow.

As climate change makes winters weaker and warmer, the practice could become more widespread—but it often comes with a climate cost.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.