Australian Alps face world’s largest loss of snow by end of century, research shows

Australia could lose 78% of its snow cover by the end of the century, a new German study has found. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Global heating will cause snow cover in the Australian Alps to decline by 78% by the end of the century – much faster than the declines assessed in six other major skiing regions, new research has found.

The study published today by researchers from Germany’s University of Bayreuth cautioned about the quickening consequences of the climate crisis, predicting 13% of ski areas across the globe may lose all natural snow cover in a future with high emissions.