Olympic athletes demand action on climate change

SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- As athletes at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, battle balmy temperatures that have made for frustrating, even dangerous, skiing conditions, some have taken the opportunity to speak out about the threat of global warming.

In a letter published today on Protect Our Winters, U.S. cross country skier Andrew Newell penned a letter demanding stronger action on climate change from world leaders.

"The continued loss of snow is only the beginning," Newell warns in the letter. "And unless changes can be made at a federal level, it will be more than our skiing that’s at stake."

The letter was signed by 105 Olympians, including athletes from the United States, Switzerland, Norway, Estonia, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden. It urged leaders to not only recognize climate change, but act quickly to reduce emissions and begin working toward a global solution -- a compact for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris 2015.

"I’m not an environmental science major, I’m not a scientist, in fact I didn’t even go to college," Newell said, "but just like most Americans, I know that as the snow dwindles so does our water supply, our food, our health and our economy."

"The fall training camps that I used to participate in when I was a student at Stratton Mountain School in Stratton, Vermont, are not really feasible any more due to lack of snow and warmer conditions," U.S. snowboarder Alex Deibold told USA Today. "I want my kids and their kids to be able to enjoy the outdoors the same way I did."

The letter cites a study by Canada's University of Waterloo and Austria's Management Center Innsbruck which, earlier this year, claimed 8 of the previous 19 Winter Olympics host cities, including Squaw Valley in Olympic Valley, Calif., will be too warm to host the event by the middle of the century.

[Protect Our Winters] [USA Today]