[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                            THE END OF SNOW

  (Mr. HUFFMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, there was a deeply troubling story this 
Sunday in The New York Times, entitled, ``The End of Snow.''
  Like all of you, I have been cheering on our Olympians in Sochi, 
particularly in the snow-related events. But as this article notes, 
climate change is threatening the very concept of Winter Olympics and 
snow sports in general.
  Current models project a 7-degree rise in global temperatures by the 
year 2100, leaving winters drier and our mountains bare of snow. Of the 
19 cities that have hosted Winter Olympics, only 10 might still be cold 
enough by 2050 to host them again.
  Warmer winters and less snow will be disastrous to the United States' 
$66 billion ski industry. Until this weekend, California had just 12 
percent of its average snowpack. Thankfully, it snowed in the Sierras, 
bringing some needed relief.
  But one snowstorm in California and another on the east coast does 
not solve our bigger, long-term climate crisis. Climate change will 
impact our lives in every way. Let's get to work. Let's reduce 
greenhouse gases and prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

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