Science News Article | Reuters
Swiss ski resort tries to cover up climate change
Mar 16, 2006
http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.... VERBIER, Switzerland (Reuters) - Global warming may be the last thing on the minds of extreme skiers speeding down the blustery cliff faces at Verbier-4 Vallees this winter.
But looking down from the chic Swiss ski resort's 10,800-foot peak, Eric Balet, whose company runs the ski lifts, says climate change has become a business concern.
About one-third of the 300,000 people involved in the Swiss tourist industry -- around 8 percent of the national workforce -- are employed in the ski sector, many making a livelihood by providing services for visitors who swell resorts each winter.
If Switzerland loses its glaciers, said Ferla, "the impact could be dramatic."