Winter Olympics Climate Change USAGM
Metadata
- Winter Olympics Climate Change USAGM
- February 1, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English FOR USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Winter Olympics Climate Change (TV) HEADLINE: Artificial Snow Warnings as Beijing Olympics Threatened by Climate Change TEASER: As Beijing Winter Olympics gets underway, new report warns artificial snow poses risks to athletes and environment PUBLISHED AT: Tuesday, 02/01/2021 at 12:15 pm BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: London VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell VIDEO EDITOR: Henry Ridgwell PRODUCER: Marcus Harton SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): Reuters, APTN, VOA, Skype PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 3:19 VID APPROVED BY: BR TYPE: VPKGF EDITOR NOTES: )) ((INTRO)) [[As Beijing prepares for the opening of the Winter Olympics this week, scientists are warning that the future of the games is under threat – because of climate change. Henry Ridgwell reports.]] ((NARRATOR)) Zhangjiakou, 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing, will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The problem is, it rarely snows. So, for several weeks, snow machines have been churning out artificial snow. Site manager Jacques Fournier has a difficult job. ((Jacques Fournier, Zhangjiakou Olympic Site Manager (in English) )) “Here has no humidity, and it's very dry, and there's a lot of wind.” ((NARRATOR)) For the first time, the Beijing Winter Olympics will use almost 100 per cent artificial snow. But a new report warns athlete’s safety could be at risk. ((Madeleine Orr, Sports Ecologist at Loughborough University)) ((cf. Skype logo)) “In sports like biathlon or cross-country skiing or any of the freestyle events where an athlete is flinging themself into the air flipping around and falling, you would want the surface to be a little softer. And the problem with artificial snow is that it's about 70 per cent ice, compared to natural snow which is about 30 per cent ice. And so the surface is much, much harder.” ((NARRATOR)) American snowboarder Taylor Gold is preparing for Beijing. During his first Olympics, in the Russian resort of Sochi in 2014, he recalls the halfpipe melting. ((Taylor Gold, U.S. Olympic Snowboarder)) “They were spraying some chemicals on it to try to get it to stay in shape. But if you go back and watch that event, it's clear, it was really warm. It was not ideal for snowboarding.” ((NARRATOR)) Critics say the climate of both Sochi and Beijing are unsuitable to host the Winter Olympics. But even high altitude, mountain ski resorts that have traditionally hosted the games are at risk – because of climate change. ((Madeleine Orr, Sports Ecologist at Loughborough University)) ((cf. Skype logo)) “The northeast of the U.S. for example, and eastern Canada - we are losing significant amounts of snow there. And then in places like the Rockies and the (European) Alps, we just don't have quite as much as we used to. So, the challenge moving forward is going to be where can we put these events. And with the Winter Olympics, we’re already kind of there.” ((NARRATOR)) Using artificial snow also causes environmental damage. ((Madeleine Orr, Sports Ecologist at Loughborough University)) ((cf. Skype logo)) “Previous research has shown that that can be damaging to local wildlife. But we also expect that when you're creating that much snow, the energy usage is extraordinary. The amount of water is extraordinary. In this Olympics we're expecting 49 million gallons of water to be used.” ((NARRATOR)) The Chinese organizers insist the games will be carbon neutral. All venues are expected to be powered by renewable energy. Ice rinks will use natural CO2 technology for cooling, instead of ozone-damaging hydrofluorocarbons. And some athletes prefer artificial snow. ((Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, New Zealand Downhill Snowboarder (in English) )) “The snow is actually amazing, the man-made stuff. I think because of how cold it is, you have to be really aggressive with how you ride, but you just have to adapt.” ((NARRATOR)) Olympic organizers will also have to adapt. The Loughborough University report warns that by 2050, fewer than half of the resorts that have hosted the Winter Olympics up till now will have viable snowfall. ((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London))
- Transcript/Script FOR USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Winter Olympics Climate Change (TV) HEADLINE: Artificial Snow Warnings as Beijing Olympics Threatened by Climate Change TEASER: As Beijing Winter Olympics gets underway, new report warns artificial snow poses risks to athletes and environment PUBLISHED AT: Tuesday, 02/01/2021 at 12:15 pm BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: London VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell VIDEO EDITOR: Henry Ridgwell PRODUCER: Marcus Harton SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): Reuters, APTN, VOA, Skype PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 3:19 VID APPROVED BY: BR TYPE: VPKGF EDITOR NOTES: )) ((INTRO)) [[As Beijing prepares for the opening of the Winter Olympics this week, scientists are warning that the future of the games is under threat – because of climate change. Henry Ridgwell reports.]] ((NARRATOR)) Zhangjiakou, 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing, will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The problem is, it rarely snows. So, for several weeks, snow machines have been churning out artificial snow. Site manager Jacques Fournier has a difficult job. ((Jacques Fournier, Zhangjiakou Olympic Site Manager (in English) )) “Here has no humidity, and it's very dry, and there's a lot of wind.” ((NARRATOR)) For the first time, the Beijing Winter Olympics will use almost 100 per cent artificial snow. But a new report warns athlete’s safety could be at risk. ((Madeleine Orr, Sports Ecologist at Loughborough University)) ((cf. Skype logo)) “In sports like biathlon or cross-country skiing or any of the freestyle events where an athlete is flinging themself into the air flipping around and falling, you would want the surface to be a little softer. And the problem with artificial snow is that it's about 70 per cent ice, compared to natural snow which is about 30 per cent ice. And so the surface is much, much harder.” ((NARRATOR)) American snowboarder Taylor Gold is preparing for Beijing. During his first Olympics, in the Russian resort of Sochi in 2014, he recalls the halfpipe melting. ((Taylor Gold, U.S. Olympic Snowboarder)) “They were spraying some chemicals on it to try to get it to stay in shape. But if you go back and watch that event, it's clear, it was really warm. It was not ideal for snowboarding.” ((NARRATOR)) Critics say the climate of both Sochi and Beijing are unsuitable to host the Winter Olympics. But even high altitude, mountain ski resorts that have traditionally hosted the games are at risk – because of climate change. ((Madeleine Orr, Sports Ecologist at Loughborough University)) ((cf. Skype logo)) “The northeast of the U.S. for example, and eastern Canada - we are losing significant amounts of snow there. And then in places like the Rockies and the (European) Alps, we just don't have quite as much as we used to. So, the challenge moving forward is going to be where can we put these events. And with the Winter Olympics, we’re already kind of there.” ((NARRATOR)) Using artificial snow also causes environmental damage. ((Madeleine Orr, Sports Ecologist at Loughborough University)) ((cf. Skype logo)) “Previous research has shown that that can be damaging to local wildlife. But we also expect that when you're creating that much snow, the energy usage is extraordinary. The amount of water is extraordinary. In this Olympics we're expecting 49 million gallons of water to be used.” ((NARRATOR)) The Chinese organizers insist the games will be carbon neutral. All venues are expected to be powered by renewable energy. Ice rinks will use natural CO2 technology for cooling, instead of ozone-damaging hydrofluorocarbons. And some athletes prefer artificial snow. ((Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, New Zealand Downhill Snowboarder (in English) )) “The snow is actually amazing, the man-made stuff. I think because of how cold it is, you have to be really aggressive with how you ride, but you just have to adapt.” ((NARRATOR)) Olympic organizers will also have to adapt. The Loughborough University report warns that by 2050, fewer than half of the resorts that have hosted the Winter Olympics up till now will have viable snowfall. ((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Byline Henry Ridgwell
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America