Climate change negatively affects skiing in Austria but benefits wine industries, experts said at the 14th Austrian Climate Day in the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences on Friday.

Researchers said rising temperatures will cause available skiing days to be cut by 15 to 30 days by the year 2050. Ski regions at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 meters will be most affected, with the state of Styria expected to be most affected. The state of Tyrol would be be affected to a lesser degree.

The use of snow cannons can be used to ensure snow availability particularly during January and February, but the months of November, March and April are expected to see significant losses.

However, the effects of climate change are not all bad with the Austrian wine industry expected to expand massively due to being able to plant new grape varieties from sub-tropic regions due to an average temperature increase of one degree over the past few decades.

Competition is expected from other European nations such as Germany and Poland who will undergo similar changes in their wine industries. Additionally, changing environmental conditions will make choosing the right variety of grape vital for growers, as the establishment of a vineyard takes several years and requires a long-term perspective, the experts said. Endi