What future for Australian ski resorts?

What does the future hold for Australia's ski resorts? 

The 2026 season marked the hottest winter on record for the Australian Alps, with the highest mean temperatures on record for June to August across much of Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania. 

The season is shutting down early across the Australian Alps, with resort closures, businesses up for sale, and a severe lack of snow, the Protect Our Winters team says. 

The snow season typically peaks in August and runs through late-September to October, but climate pollution is driving higher temperatures and significant rain events that have greatly reduced snow cover, bringing an unusually early end to the season.

Mt Baw Baw in Victoria and Selwyn Snow Resort in New South Wales both closed for the season last week. Selwyn cited a “challenging winter”, temperature, and rain’s “impact on our remaining snow cover” as the reasons for closure.

Mia Rennie, POW Athlete Alliance, free skier and sports commentator, noted the changes at Selwyn in a media release.

"I grew up skiing at Selwyn snowfields and remember having to dig our front doors out at Cabramurra," Rennie said. 

"That’s now a thing of the past. I have seen first hand how quickly our winters are changing and how quickly we need to respond so future generations can continue to experience the magic of winter that I grew up with.”

Australia’s resort economy is worth over $3 billion annually, supporting thousands of jobs. 

Thredbo Alpine Resort was recently hit with a valuation drop of over 50% from $292 million to $143 million, POW says. 

And coming off the back of Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics, climate change is threatening the future of Australia’s snow sports viability, success, and culture. With diminishing opportunities for training and competition in Australia, athletes are increasingly forced to chase snow opportunities overseas.

Protect Our Winters Australia (POW) is A community-driven, science-backed collective of winter sports enthusiasts, High Country devotees, climate scientists, and regional businesses advocating for systemic climate solutions.

For more info see protectourwinters.org.au.

Image: Mount Hotham slalom gully last week. Supplied. 

Leading California wine regions at risk

Global warming and increasing wildfire risk threaten viability of elite wine-growing regions in California - but others may boom, a new report says. 

Mendocino and Monterey could become increasingly favourable for premium vintages under shifting climate patterns, while Napa and Sonoma may face increased pressure in grape cultivation. 

The US is the fourth-largest wine-producing country by output volume, and approximately 80% of its production occurs in California. 

Since the 19th century, California’s premier wine-growing regions have been the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, thanks to their favourable microclimates. 

But grape yield and quality are very sensitive to the local environment, which means that the climate crisis could shake up California’s wine industry. 

The new study shows that established regions including Napa and Sonoma could struggle to sustain their wine production under severe climate change. Others, like northern and coastal California, could become new wine-growing powerhouses.

“Our findings reveal that the outlook for Mendocino and Monterey is uniquely promising because of a dual trend: they are projected to experience both increasing climatic suitability for wine-growing and a decrease in extreme fire-weather days,” said Dr Yusuke Hiraga, an assistant professor at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and author of the study in Frontiers in Climate. 

“This combination makes these areas stand out as comparatively favourable expansion zones, distinct from many other regions with either rising suitability alongside increased wildfire weather or declining suitability

Together with Takuya Matsumoto, a masters student at Tohoku University, Hiraga modeled California’s current and future climatic suitability for wine grape cultivation. 

They focused on 379 wine-growing locations listed in the California Wine Institute, predominantly in the North Coast region and across the Central Coast.

To forecast climate change, the authors mapped projections from global climate models onto a 4km-by-4km grid across the mainland US. 

They also considered alternative carbon emission scenarios. 

The authors likewise modelled the shifting weather conditions linked to wildfire risk and expected severity within each cell. 

The results showed that the suitability of currently important wine-growing regions, like Napa, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara, is likely to decline strongly under severe climate change. 

In contrast, suitability was predicted to increase greatly in Mendocino, Monterey, and in central to southern coastal areas. 

“While our study highlights long-term shifts in climatic and fire-weather suitability through the end of the century, it does not attempt to predict a specific timeline for when emerging areas will surpass currently established regions in wine-growing potential,” Hiraga said. 

“Such a precise forecast is complex, as the future of viticulture is shaped not only by climate change and wildfire weather but also by a wide array of anthropogenic factors.”

For more info, here is the original research  article: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/climate/articles/10.3389/fclim.2026.1838268/full

Hawaii to impose environmental tax on tourists

Hawaii, a group of islands of outstanding natural beauty, is to become the first US state to impose a climate impact fee on visiting tourists.

Funds raised will be used to fund climate change projects and environmental stewardship, travel media outlet Travel Mole reports.

The ‘Green Fee’ is being added to Hawaii’s current transient accommodations tax, as a 0.75% increase. That will take the per night lodging tax imposed on visitors to 11%.

The new tax becomes effective January 1, 2026.

It is payable for guests staying in hotels and short-term vacation rentals and those arriving on cruise ships.

“As an island chain, Hawaii cannot wait for the next disaster to hit before taking action,” Hawaii governor Josh Green said.

“We must build resiliency now, and the Green Fee will provide the necessary financing to ensure resources are available for our future.”

The fee could generate up to $100 million annually - let's hope it is put to good use and not absorbed in consolidated revenue.

Specific projects funded by the Green Fee revenues will be announced will be announced during the next legislative session.

They are expected to cover sustainable tourism initiatives, environmental stewardship, and climate resiliency.

Cruise ship guests were added to the transient accommodation tax to ensure "equity across the tourism industry".

Image: Kauia, Hawaii Tours

European vineyards worst hit by climate change

Europe’s wine regions have experienced the most significant climate shifts among global viticultural areas, a new study published in PLOS Climate reveals.

The Public Library of Science is a non-profit organization that publishes academic journals.

The research, conducted by a team of scientists led by Elizabeth Wolkovich, analysed climate exposure across 749 globally-distributed vineyard locations using over 500 grape-growing regions. 

It found that European wine regions have recorded the most extreme increases in warming metrics, particularly in the frequency of hot days and maximum temperatures during the growing season, trace journal the drinks business reported.

The study assessed 10 climate metrics relevant to viticulture - including daily minimum, maximum and mean temperatures during budburst, the growing season and harvest, as well as the number of hot days exceeding 35°C. 

It compared recent climate conditions (1981–2020) against pre-industrial baselines (1901–1940) to quantify the effects of human-caused climate change on winegrowing.

Southern and western Europe showed the highest levels of climate exposure across nearly all metrics.

In particular, the number of extremely hot days in these regions increased by nearly five times compared to pre-industrial levels. The average temperature during the growing season has also risen by more than two standard deviations in key European vineyard areas.

The study found that while climate change is impacting all wine regions globally, the severity and nature of that exposure differ. 

For instance, North American regions generally saw lower relative increases in extreme temperatures and hot days than their European counterparts.

These warming trends present growing challenges for viticulture. 

Changes to average and extreme temperatures during the growing season can alter grape phenology, including earlier ripening and shifts in harvest timing, which in turn may affect grape composition, wine style and regional identity.

Although the study does not offer prescriptive adaptation strategies, the authors emphasise that these observed changes are consistent with anthropogenic climate change, and suggest that many of the world’s most historic and prestigious wine regions are already undergoing unprecedented climatic shifts.

The findings underscore the need for wine producers, particularly in Europe, to assess and implement long-term strategies to address evolving climate risks, including grape varietal selection, vineyard management adjustments, and potential shifts in regional production norms.

Image: Vineyards in Catalonia. Silvia Arellano, Scop.io 

New Zealand wine businesses promote sustainability message

New Zealand has been promoting its clean and green wine image for 30 years now and despite turbulent global trade winds, the New Zealand wine industry's reputation for high-quality, sustainable wines remains a constant.

Released mid-April, the 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Sustainability Report takes the pulse of the industry’s progress with sustainability.

The report highlights empirical data collected from its members that are certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) - comprising 98% of vineyard area, and around 90% of wine produced.

The industry’s sustainability goals remain : Climate Change, Water, People, Soil, Waste, and Plant Protection.

“While we may be here for a short time, our impact can last longer than a lifetime. To our industry, sustainability means growing grapes and producing our world-famous wines in such a way that we can do so for generations to come”, the report says.

The report notes that climate change is the biggest long-term challenge facing the industry. The New Zealand Wine Roadmap to Net Zero 2050 released in 2024, highlights the need for change across key areas of the value chain to set the path to a net zero future.

“We can see from the data, that more of our members are implementing specific initiatives to minimise their carbon footprint,” says . Dr Edwin Massey, general manager for sustainability.

“Once you start measuring your emissions, you can then make informed business decisions around future changes and investment.

"SWNZ members submit data on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. An individualised report is provided to each member, giving comparative data over time. In addition, there are also regional and national reports providing a macro benchmark for progress."

With the goal to be world leaders in water use and the protection of water quality, Dr Massey says the report shows that “100% of wineries and 92% vineyards are optimising their water use through conservation and reduction.”.

With 90% of New Zealand wine currently exported, advancing sustainability through research is paramount to the future success of the industry.

Bragato Research Institute (BRI), is a wholly owned subsidiary of New Zealand Winegrowers and bridges the gap between science and industry, focusing on and delivering research that fills knowledge gaps specific to New Zealand’s current and future grape growing and winemaking needs.

The commitment to sustainability remains a key differentiator for New Zealand wine and is central to its premium brand proposition, NZ Wine says. The report highlights the ongoing efforts by grape growers and winemakers in putting sustainability first.

To read the 2025 Sustainability Report visit: nzwine.com

Image: Marlborough vineyards

Wine industry debates how to cope with extreme weather

Changing weather patterns are a challenge for everyone involved in the wine industry. 

The 2024 Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology will host a seminar on Managing Extreme Weather Conditions in Orange, NSW, on September 3-4 that will be webcast across Australia.

Following a year which saw numerous record-breaking climate extremes acrossAustralia, this year’s ASVO Viticulture Seminar has been billed as “never being more relevant”.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes reports that in 2023 Australia saw: the warmest winter on record in NSW; unseasonally early heatwaves in South Australia; spring bushfires followed by floods in Victoria and heavy rain followed by severe wind which brought down trees in Tasmania. 

Definitely not ideal grape growing conditions.

ASVO president Andy Clarke said, “Last year we saw extreme weather events across every state of Australia. Regardless of which region you are in, these events are becoming more common and successful viticulturists need to know how to deal with dry winters, bushfires, flooding rains, spring frost and wind.

“This viticulture seminar will give vineyard owners and managers the latest best-practice advice and practical information about how to prepare for and manage their vineyards in extreme weather conditions. 

“We may be subject to the whims of the weather, but that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for and manage the risks more effectively.

“By coming together in person in Orange, we can discuss the issues that matter andsolutions that work specifically for grape growing.”

The event is being held in association with the NSW Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development.

Registration is open now at https://www.asvo.com.au/events/managing-extreme-weather-conditions

Climate change could mean more turbulent flights

There has been another terrifying airline turbulence incident on an international flight, sparking fears that global warming is making turbulence more frequent - and potentially deadly.

Twelve people were reported injured on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin at the weekend hit massive turbulence, Dublin Airport officials said.

The flight from Doha landed at Dublin and was met by emergency services.

Dublin Airport posted on X that six passengers and six crew members suffered various injuries and that eight of the 12 injured were taken to hospital.

Qatar Airways flight QR017 apparently suffered turbulence as it flew over Turkiye, Travel Mole reported..

“A small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in flight and are now receiving medical attention,” Qatar Airways said in a statement. It added that “the matter is now subject to an internal investigation.”

Just last week a British man died during a severe turbulence incident on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore's Changi Airport. There were 104 passengers injured on that flight.  

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said turbulence incidents are up concerningly. He said turbulence will continue to “affect American travellers, whether here or abroad.”

He told the CBS TV network: “The reality is, the effects of climate change are already upon us in terms of our transportation.

”“Our climate is evolving. Our policies and our technology and our infrastructure have to evolve accordingly, too.”

Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK, previously told CNN that he believes climate change is modifying turbulence. 

“We ran some computer simulations and found that severe turbulence could double or triple in the coming decades,” Williams said.

So disturbing news for frequent flyers. 

Buckle up people. 

* Singapore Airlines has amended its policy on in-flight seatbelt use, taking a "more cautious" approach. 

The airline will not serve passengers food and drink when the seatbelt sign is on, Travel Mole reported. 

The airline said: “SIA will continue to review our processes, as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance." 

Image: Einar Maeland Jensen, Scop.io 

Global warming looms as a major threat to the wine industry

French scientists have pinpointed several major wine-growing regions that are under threat because of global warning.

The scientists, led by Cornelis van Leeuwen and a team at the University of Bordeaux, said 90% of traditional wine regions in coastal and lowland regions of Spain, Italy, Greece and southern California “could be at risk of not being viable by the end of the century because of excessive drought and more frequent heatwaves with climate change”.

The report was published in a scientific journal and highlighted the continuing impact of climate change on wine growing regions and how warmth will impact traditional vineyard areas by the end of the century, the Drinks Business website reports.

The study, published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, reported that “the geography of wine production is changing”, and it considered the consequences of changing temperature, precipitation, humidity, radiation and Co2 on global wine production and explore adaptation strategies.

It highlighted how current wine growing regions were mid-latitude due to the warmth for ripening but without excessive heat, and were relatively dry to avoid strong disease pressure.

But it said that warmer temperatures in more northernly regions, such as Washington State, the southern UK, and Tasmania, are “driving the emergence of new wine regions”.

The scientists said that it was possible for current wine producers to mitigate against the worst impacts of warming, by changing plant material, including varieties and rootstocks, training systems and general vineyard management.

But even taking on such strategies, the adaptations “might not be enough” to maintain economically viable wine production. It called on more research to be done to assess the economic impact of such climate change adaptation at a large scale.

Highlighting the scientists’ own country, it said that “a substantial advance” in harvest dates, and alcohol levels, had already been observed in Bordeaux and Alsace, with “the sustainability” of such established wine growing regions “likely to change” in the 21st century.

The extent of the changes “remains unknown” and will depend on “the magnitude of climate change”, the scientists said.

Primary threats were heat and drought, extreme weather events, and unpredictability with regard to changing pest and disease pressure.

Here is the link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-024-00521-5

Image: Stephan Bohm, Scop.io 

Anxious times for winemakers in Europe

Winemakers across France and Spain are anxious after wild fires continued to burn across both countries over the weekend.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated from Gironde prefecture in south-western France, part of the Bordeaux wine region (above).

Smoke taint looms as a possible threat to grapes ahead of the 2022 harvest.

Over 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) were on fire in the Gironde, triggered by a summer heat wave in Europe.

Parts of the continent are bracing for new temperature records early next week.

Meteo France forecast temperatures of up to 41 degrees Celsius in parts of southern France.

The fire season has hit after an unusually dry, hot spring that left the soil parched and which authorities attribute to climate change.

Across Spain, firefighters were also battling several wild fires after days of soaring temperatures hit as high as 45.7 C.

Research a boost for UK wine industry

 

Look out for more and more high-quality wines from vineyards in the UK.

New research has revealed how climate change is likely to increase the potential for wine production - with conditions projected to resemble those in leading growing regions of France and Germany.

Over the last 20 years, climate change has contributed to a growth in UK vineyard area - with more than 800 vineyards now operational - and award-winning wine production, as well as a transition in wine style towards sparkling wines.

Now a team of researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the London School of Economics, Vinescapes Ltd and Weatherquest Ltd have charted the potential for the sector over the next 20 years.

Drawing on the latest detailed climate projections, they have developed cutting-edge capability to model and map the best opportunities for grape growing and winemaking in the UK.

The findings, published today in the journal OENO One, show how the climate of a larger area of England and Wales is projected to become suitable for reliably growing sparkling wine grape varieties, and how the potential for high-quality still wine production is rapidly emerging.

Lead UEA researcher Prof Steve Dorling, of the School of Environmental Sciences and forecasting company Weatherquest Ltd, said: “We’ve seen viticulture in the UK expand nearly 400% from 761 to 3800 hectares between 2004 and 2021.

“Over that period the warming climate has supported much more reliable yield and quality of the pinot noir and chardonnay grape varieties - these varieties are blended in the production of Champagne-style sparkling wine.

“Warm, dry UK growing seasons like 2018, with lower than average disease problems in the vines, led to production of a record-breaking 15.6 million bottles and these growing conditions have already become - and are projected to become - more common.”

Projections show UK wine regions becoming more like the Champagne and Burgundy regions of France, and Baden in Germany.

The study’s lead author Dr Alistair Nesbitt, of vineyard and winery consultancy Vinescapes Ltd, said: “This work is a UK first, a unique combination of climate change science, viticulture and wine expertise.

“We found that significant areas within England and Wales are projected to become warmer by 2040 by up to a further 1.4°C during the growing season. This expands the area of suitability for pinot noir for sparkling wine production, but also new areas will open up within the growing season temperature suitability range for still pinot noir production and for growing varieties such as sauvignon blanc, riesling, semillon and more disease-resistant varieties, which are hardly grown in the UK at present.

“Furthermore, anyone thinking of investing in a vineyard in the UK can now benefit from this knowledge through advice on the best locations, both now and under future climate change conditions.”

The paper can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.3.5398

Leading winery takes a climate-change stand

 

Clare Valley-based Taylors Wines has become the first independent Australian winery to set ambitious emissions reductions targets in line with the Paris Agreement.

Taylors - known as Wakefield Estate in Europe - today announced its further commitment to environmental sustainability by becoming a signatory to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). 

The family-owned winery has set a target to achieve a 50% reduction in its scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in line with the more ambitious target of limiting climate change to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement. 

The 2030 target provides a clear pathway for the winery to show it is on track to becoming net-zero by 2050.

Taylors, whose winemaking is led by Adam Eggins (above), joins 31 other leading Australian businesses including Woolworths, Telstra, and Bank Australia who have committed or set specific targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The signing of this commitment is the latest sustainability milestone by the Taylor family who have championed innovative practices to reduce its impact on the environment.

“As viticulturalists we’ve always been intimately connected to the climate and changes in the seasons" said managing director Mitchell Taylor. 

"Our industry has seen first-hand the significant impacts of climate change on wine regions around the world. As a multi-generational family winery, creating a sustainable business is essential to the future of our industry and to the planet.” 

SBTi is a collaboration between CDP Global, the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). 

Taylors Wines has implemented a number of sustainability initiatives including energy-efficient tank refrigeration and barrel hall temperature control; regeneration of the local Wakefield River catchment area and organic cultivation practices in the vineyards including the use of sheep to manage winter grass and weed growth. 

Taylors has also become a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia - a collaborative initiative for Australia’s grape growers and winemakers to demonstrate a continued improvement in sustainability in viticulture and winemaking

For details see www.taylorswines.com.au/sustainability.