Be the power of those who are passionate about outdoor activities and act to protect their fields and lifestyles from climate change.
From "What is Protect Our Winters?"
Protect Our Winters JAPAN (POW JAPAN) has been active since February 2019.
POW started in 2007 when professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones faced the reality that snow resorts were unable to open due to low snowfall, and took action on what he felt was an anomaly.
JEREMY JONES
Goro Komatsu
Since 1880, the average global temperature has risen by 0.9 degrees Celsius, and Japan has recorded a temperature rise of 1.15 degrees Celsius.
Sea levels have risen by 19 centimeters due to thermal expansion due to rising sea temperatures and melting glaciers. 97% of scientists around the world agree that these changes are causing extreme weather around the world, and that rising carbon dioxide emissions are a contributing factor.
So how do you act upon it?
There are more than 60 million outdoor sports enthusiasts in the world, supporting the lives of more than 7.6 million people, and having a market with an economy of nearly 90 trillion yen. The scale of the market and the outreach from the community cannot be ignored for policies and solutions on climate change led by the government and the business world. POW's activities, which started in the United States, have influenced snow communities around the world, and now the POW network has spread to 12 countries.
POW JAPAN has also taken various actions since its inception.
As a partner in this movement, we have built a cooperative system with 21 businesses, brands, and media, including ski resorts in the Hakuba area, and 16 skiers and snowboarders are conducting educational activities in various places as ambassadors.
As an example of how our efforts are beginning to bear fruit, from February 2 to 4, 2020, all electricity used at Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field was covered by 100% renewable energy. From February, the alpine quad lift at Hakuba Happo-One Ski Resort has been operating on CO2-free electricity throughout the year.
In Japan, Iki City in Nagasaki Prefecture and Kamakura City in Kanagawa Prefecture requested Hakuba Village to declare a climate emergency, and mainly students of Hakuba High School submitted a request form and signatures to the mayor of the village. In response to this, Hakuba Village became the first Nagano prefecture to declare a "climate emergency" in December.Photo/Yukari
Now that individual awareness and behavior are changing in response to climate change that can be felt with our skin, the momentum is growing for us, who love snow mountains, to create movements that will have an impact on society together with POW.
The STEEP editorial department will also take action as a party to enjoy the snowy mountains.