Open letter to FIS President Eliasch: Greenpeace International calls for real climate protection instead of indulgence trading
Eliasch must stop greenwashing and discontinue FIS carbon offsetting - environmental organization supports climate protection initiative of 500 professional athletes
In an open letter, Greenpeace International calls on FIS President Eliasch and the Council of the International Ski Federation to put an end to carbon offsetting. In order to offset its greenhouse gas emissions - for example from long flights - the international ski association currently relies on compensation projects and even describes itself as climate-positive. In Greenpeace's view, this is pure greenwashing. The environmental protection organization is therefore calling on FIS President Eliasch to stop this indulgence trade before the next season and implement real climate protection measures. Greenpeace is thus standing shoulder to shoulder with over 500 professional winter athletes - including Ski World Cup record holder Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde - who support the climate protection initiative of ÖSV ski racer Julian Schütter.
"Instead of making winter sports fit for the future, the FIS under President Eliasch is fueling its demise. CO₂ compensation payments are nothing but brazen greenwashing," says Adam Pawloff, Program Director at Greenpeace in Austria. A look at the alpine ski racing calendar shows that the FIS under Eliasch is knowingly ignoring the signs of the times: Not just once, but even twice a season, the athletes:inside and their teams, including their equipment, will fly across the Atlantic to various races. "It's not enough that Eliasch is selling indulgences with his compensation projects. He's throwing another log on the fire and destroying the very basis of the FIS's existence: white winters," says Pawloff.
Global CO₂ emissions are soaring at record speed and fueling the climate crisis even further. The Alpine region is disproportionately affected by global warming: Our glaciers are shrinking rapidly. Last year, glacier shrinkage averaged 28.7 meters - a whole 11 meters more than in the previous year. Several races in the last Ski World Cup season have already had to be canceled due to a lack of snow. "Instead of relying on non-transparent CO₂ compensation projects and sending athletes around the globe twice despite the escalating climate crisis, it's time to pull the emergency brake. Eliasch and the FIS must adjust the race calendar and ensure that the races are scheduled in such a way that travel and the associated emissions are reduced to a minimum," demands Pawloff. This will also benefit the athletes, who will have more rest and training time.
Not only Greenpeace, but also numerous professional athletes are sharply criticizing the ignorance of the FIS under President Eliasch. More than 500 professional winter athletes - including Ski World Cup record holder Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde - support the climate initiative from ÖSV ski racer Julian Schütter to the international ski association: in a letter, they demand a halving of emissions by 2030 in line with science and complete transparency in climate protection measures.
The open letter from Greenpeace to FIS President Eliasch and the Council members can be found here.
You can find the athletes' open letter here.
