Changing patterns deplete snow for winter tourism and continue to damage Great Barrier Reef
It’s been a sweltering start to the ski season for winter sports lovers; Unseasonably warm temperatures kept snow to a minimum, and even the initial white cover rain was followed by buckets of rain, which washed away most of the cover.
Skiers and boarders are checking webcams every day to find more green grass than snow, and with school holidays starting next week many families will be desperately trying to cancel or change bookings that have cost them an arm and a leg.
Snow cover is in a long-term spiral due to rising temperatures caused by climate change, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology. This winter has also been affected by the onset of the El Nino weather pattern, announced by the bureau on June 16, which brings warmer, drier conditions.
Although the situation in the south seems dire right now, it is not unprecedented. Industry experts stated that June is generally a bad month in terms of snowfall and expressed hope that snowfall will be expected in July.
But the general trend is worrying. At Spencers Creek in NSW and Rocky Valley Dam in Victoria, peak snow depths are decreasing by 0.7 centimeters per year and 0.6 centimeters per year.
Environmental group Save Our Winters Australia puts the blame for shrinking snowpack squarely on the fossil fuel industry.
According to one estimate, the ski industry is worth $3.3 billion annually. Faced with rising temperatures, the company has invested heavily in snowmaking technology, but even that requires sub-zero temperatures to operate. Maintaining their winter status, Thredbo and Jindabyne have become year-round attractions, encouraging mountain biking, hiking and fishing in the summer months.
As climate change hits winter tourism, the Great Barrier Reef is also suffering from rising temperatures as this creates warmer seas.
The federal government estimates that tourism on the Great Barrier Reef contributes more than $9 billion a year to the Australian economy and supports 77,000 jobs as the country’s fifth largest employer.
It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
But mass bleaching events have occurred on the Great Barrier Reef in recent years, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
“Event [in 2025] “It was the sixth since 2016 and, although less extensive than the 2024 bleaching event, it was the reef’s second consecutive event.”
The current El Niño event may increase the likelihood of coral bleaching on the reef.
The crazy thing about all this is that these things are happening even while both the Coalition and One Nation are downplaying or ignoring the role of climate change on our economy.
The coalition has officially abandoned its legal commitment to a net-zero emissions target by 2050. One Nation, which ranks high in opinion polls, goes further, saying there is “insufficient evidence” of man-made global warming and labeling climate change a “hoax”.
Talk about playing the violin while Rome burns. On behalf of kayakers, snorkelers, farmers and financiers (indeed, all of us), politicians of all persuasions must act urgently to do everything they can to mitigate the devastating impact of a warming planet.
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