Wednesday, July 23, 2014

NHL concerned about winter ice


I've dropped this PDF on a few climate skeptics who think that the world and the Northern Hemisphere in particular isn't warming up.  Well, if it isn't warming up, it is hard to explain why winters are getting shorter, as indicated by lakes in Canada thawing earlier in the calendar year.

Changes in lake ice signal a changing climate

That's bad because not every aspiring hockey player in Canada practices at a climate-controlled indoor rink.  Even in this era of modern technology, a lot of Canadian boys still practice their sport on a frozen pond or frozen backyard.

So the NHL has committed to a course of action to address climate change.  Maybe it's symbolic, but I think they mean it.  And them meaning it might possibly convince a lot of otherwise-minded Canadians that it is happening and that it is important.  And maybe a few of those Canadians will write to their idiot Prime Minister and his political cronies that maybe they should take their national sport seriously and stop burning all the tar sands in Alberta.

So good job, NHL.  Now, how can we do a deal to get the Capitals a shot at the Stanley Cup?

On thin ice

Here's what they say:

"The NHL says “freeze thaw cycles” are growing unreliable, and that with warmer winters, there are fewer “naturally occurring frozen ponds.” 
Mitchell [NHL director of sustainability] said these changes could severely impact hockey’s growth. 
The NHL began working with the NRDC on climate issues in 2010, when it launched NHL Green, which began with a panel meeting of leading academics, business leaders and other climate experts to discus how the league could respond to climate change at the 2010 Winter Classic. 
The Winter Classic is an outdoor hockey game that takes place every New Year’s Day. It’s one of the biggest moments for the NHL on the calendar, as the event generally gets widespread media attention and showcases hockey being played at its highest level against a background (at least sometimes) of falling snow."



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