Where Was the White Christmas?

Tragic Temperatures // Using this chart, the dramatic rise of the global average temperature from 1850 to 2024 can be seen. As displayed, the temperatures are on a steep increase and do not seem to be slowing down at any rate, all due to the popular phenomenon: climate change. (Photo courtesy of Berkeley Earth)

Just a month ago, students were eager to finish school and get on winter break, with many students excited to ski, sled, or snowboard. Although from the past till now, it has rarely snowed in Nevada, various other places throughout the United States and the rest of the world, such as Utah and Colorado, who have had feet of snowfall in years past, experienced less snow than ever before. Although there have been numerous causes for this decrease in snowfall, one overarching cause would be climate change.

Nearly everyone has heard of climate change and the effects it has, but few choose to act upon it. Perhaps it is because climate change so often is seen on the ground level with things like drought or depleted ecosystems, but as time goes on, climate change is continuing to climb—even to the highest tips of mountains. Since the only place where someone can practically sled nowadays is in places like Mount Everest, it is essential that people begin understanding why snow on mountains is disappearing and how it can be revived.

Human activities, especially burning fossil fuels for energy, release vast amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. This traps the sun's heat and causes the planet to warm at an unprecedented rate, which is disrupting natural systems. Therefore, the Earth is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history. The chart above directly points out the increasing rate of the temperature that continues to rise from 1850 to 2024. Nearing the present, the chart demonstrates a dramatic rise of the Earth’s temperature, which is clearly an issue.

“I care about climate change because it’s harmful to the earth and I feel bad for all the animals, especially polar bears, that are suffering,” sophomore Neyli Abeyakoon said.

Abeyakoon notes that beyond just the human luxury of winter activities being disrupted, amongst those disrupted include all kinds of wildlife, especially ones that are used to cold temperatures. Why? Well, in specific relation to snowfall, snow has decreased around Christmas time due to warmer winter temperatures as a result of climate change, causing more precipitation to fall as rain, shorter winters, and less overall snow cover. This decreases the amount of snow in many regions, even ones with occasional intense storms. This trend reduces the chance of a "white Christmas" in places where it was once common, impacting traditions and ecosystems alike.

“This year I wanted to see a white Christmas, but I knew the chances were low since we live in Nevada,” sophomore Sandy Zheng added.

With this issue arising, so can your awareness of it. Rather than sitting back and watching these graphs progress, there is so much that can be done to minimize the rising temperatures. Some ways any person could aid in minimizing this problem are by saving energy at home, walking, biking or taking public transport, and even switching to an electric vehicle. Other things that can be done are to reduce, reuse, repair and recycle, and also throw away less food. All of these actions help mitigate the climate change issue primarily by decreasing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide, released into the atmosphere. Simply changing some of your daily habits can greatly reduce the scale of this issue. However, these manageable fixes will not completely rid us of the issue. The most effective long-term solution is to end reliance on fossil fuels, while immediate, localized actions for snow-dependent industries include advanced snowmaking, snow farming, and forest management to conserve water.

“Throughout my daily life I try to actively slow down climate change through my actions including recycling and carpooling with my friends to minimize the emission of fossil fuels,” sophomore Grace Sexton explained.

The next time you wish it were snowing and you could go sledding on the freshly sprinkled snow, think about the big idea of climate change. Instead of complaining about the problem, focus on taking small steps towards the problem to fix it.

It is not just awareness of the problem, but what is done about it that can be effective in minimizing the detrimental effects of this situation. In the long run, it would serve our society well to work together as a whole to make steps in reducing this phenomenon, starting with eliminating our reliance on fossil fuels, all the way down to our daily carbon footprint that just maybe—would bring back a White Christmas—for people and animals alike. For more information, you can visit Project Drawdown to see the world’s leading guide to science based climate solutions.