5 Ways Climate Change Is Changing Christmas Traditions
By Yisih Chai 18 December, 2024
Why are white Christmases turning green & green Christmas trees turning brown? CWR's Chai unwraps 5 ways climate change is reshaping our Christmas traditions & new ways we can celebrate
This year, climate records have broken like never before as climate change fueled unprecedented heatwaves and made extreme weather events more frequent. As we look forward to the festive season, be warned, there are going to be different kinds of Christmas surprises.
From extreme storms that are ruining our Christmas plans to disappearing white Christmases and brown Christmas trees to Christmas typhoon, we unwrap 5 ways climate change is reshaping our Christmas traditions and new ways to celebrate below.
1. Increasing stormy weather & snowstorms are putting a damper on Christmas plans
Before our celebrations even begin, some places are already getting uninvited guests: heavy rain and typhoons.
Festive events are being cancelled in many places. Worcester’s Christmas lights switch-on event in England “reluctantly” got the chop due to health and safety concerns over adverse weather, while the Beverley Festival of Christmas over in Yorkshire was scrapped just a few weeks ago, as high winds & rain from Storm Darragh made outdoor activities unsafe.
Meanwhile, over in the Philippines, “Christmas typhoons” are becoming a yearly tradition. A 2021 study found these storms have surged 210% nationwide since 2012! Bittersweetly, they’re are being called off in solidarity with typhoon-hit communities – “Every Filipino deserves Christmas,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said. He urged government officials and workers to donate money previously earmarked for lavish parties instead.
Even trying to get home for the holidays we’re hit…
…weather-related flight delays rose from 11% in 2012 to ~30% in 2023…
…& it’s not just the skies
These storms also hit us just as we’re trying to get home for the holidays. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and “extreme”, causing more flight cancellations and delays. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that weather-related delays rose from 11% in 2012 to ~30% in 2023. The icing on the cake? It’s a troubling cycle: air travel not only adds to heat-trapping emissions, but resulting global warming is now creating new and escalating challenges for the aviation industry. And it’s not just the skies – yearly winter weather contributes to half a million road accidents and over 2k deaths across the U.S.
2. Disappearing White Christmases
In 2024, ice and snowfall are hitting record lows that we never imagined. And with scientists predicting that this year might be the warmest year on record, we should be expecting fewer or later white Christmases.
In the UK, the dwindling number and shorter span of snowy December days are leading some to think that white Christmases are becoming a “thing of the past”. Across the Atlantic, winter outlooks are bracing Americans for Decembers that feel more like Octobers in many regions.
However, it’s not just our backyard winter wonderlands at risk. Up in the Arctic, the situation is even more dire – in 2005-2007, half of its thick multi-year ice (7-10 years old) disappeared & never returned. Sea ice has since declined, and multi-year ice is now only 1-3 years old. Plus, at 2°C warming, the Arctic could be ice-free for up to 4 months yearly! These not only threatens the iconic image of a snow-covered North Pole, but as warming (from new Arctic routes) speeds up along with sea levels, we also can’t help but wonder how Santa’s workshop is going to stay afloat in coming years.
3. Winter sports on thin ice (literally)
In the last 165 years, average ice cover duration of our ice-skating lakes has reduced by a month. Thousands that froze without fail during winter are also now “experiencing ice-free years”. Plus research from York University shows that ice quality is getting worse – we’re seeing more white ice, which is bubbly and weaker, compared to sturdier black ice we can safely skate on. And this isn’t just affecting recreation; it’s also linked to a disturbing increase in winter drownings.
Lakes that froze without fail now experience “ice-free years”
Slopes are also suffering from less snow & ice, turning from white to green.
Southern Europe hit a new low early this year. On January 21, France’s Beille et Chioula resort was forced to close due to insufficient snowfall. And just days after, Pyrenees temperatures soared to record highs – Candanchú in Spain reached 18.4°C and Les Salines in Andorra hit 22.6°C. Its snow reserve also plummeted to just 56% of a five-year average, leaving the mountains visibly bare.
Australia’s ski seasons could halve by 2050…
…the hit will be brutal – skiing brings >US$2bn each yr!
This crisis isn’t isolated. Australia’s ski seasons could halve by 2050, while U.S. slopes have already lost a week since the 70s. And it’s only getting worse – for Australians, we’re looking at 1.5 months less skiing by 2050, and by 2080, some of their most renowned ski resorts – including Falls Creek and Mount Buller – might close for good. The economic hit will also be brutal – the ski industry contributes more than US$2bn to the nation’s economy each year.
Some resorts are closing shop while others are resorting to investing millions into snowmaking. And it’s a “snowball effect” – snowmaking can be very polluting and water-intensive if used at scale.
4. Christmas trees are turning from green to brown
When Christmas trees struggle with increased heat, it interferes with their breathing and water use. And this can cause them to grow slower, their needles to turn brown (which is definitely not the Christmassy look we want), and in worst cases, it can cause them to die easier.
Rising temperatures also bring both dry conditions that can cause root death and wet conditions that foster the growth of pests and diseases e.g. the (BWA), an insect that attacks true fir trees, has killed 95% of Fraser Firs across North Carolina.
Rising temps = Christmas trees grow slower, turn browner & die easier…
But who says you even need one?
Growers will have to come up with better management strategies to ensure tall, green & lush Christmas trees but that comes with a price tag – most growers surveyed by The Real Christmas Tree Board reported their expenses in supplying real Christmas trees have climbed as much as 10% each year!
But who says we even need a tree? And if you do want one, there are reusable trees and there are businesses now renting out Christmas trees so check them out!
5. Rising costs & vanishing treats of our Christmas feasts – we might need more resilient recipes
Extreme weather, shifting growing seasons, and more pests and diseases are also hammering crop yields and livestock production. Result? Rising food costs. In 2023, climate change was behind about a third of the hike in food prices for holiday meals – the biggest contributor to Christmas dinner inflation that year.
In 2024 cocoa cost upped 136% (from 2022) – crossing US$10k/tonne for the first time ever
Take your hot chocolate. Excessive rainfall in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2023 triggered a sudden growth of swollen shoot virus and black pod disease – where cocoa pods rot and harden. It’s bad news globally – these two countries make up 58% of the world’s cocoa production. In 2024, its cost also shot up 136% (from the year 2022) and crossed US$10k/tonne for the first time ever. Wine’s not escaping either; with 2024 marked by unpredictable weather and droughts, vineyards are drying, and harvests are inconsistent. Even France, “the country of wine par excellence” saw production drop 21.4% this year. In past Christmases we’ve discussed diets that creates the least food waste and imagined a climate-conscious Christmas feast in 2050. This month we also look at how climate change is impacting the taste of some of your favourite foods & drinks.
We can always unwrap new (+ climate-conscious) ways to celebrate…
Yes, this means reshaping Christmas as we know it. But we can always unwrap new ways to celebrate that are both festive and climate conscious. Indoor venues are becoming the new norm for some events, while virtual celebrations are bridging distances between loved ones when travel is impossible. Some are also “branching” out for more resilient decorating (e.g. eco-friendly and durable Christmas trees), while others are making greener choices like using local & seasonal ingredients in their holiday meals and opting for greener gifts that can keep on giving.
…after all, isn’t a sustainable future the best gift for our loved ones?
Though our celebrations may look different than before, they’re becoming more resilient and environmentally conscious. Embracing this change means can ensure the joy of Christmas continues. So let’s toast to newer and greener traditions. After all, the best present we can give to our loved ones – and future generations – is a sustainable future.
Further readings
- Winter is Not Coming – Game of Thrones’ Ygritte might be right; Jon Snow, you know nothing. Tan says find our inner-Yoda we must
- Playing With Trees At Christmas – CWR’s Thieriot tests out a new ‘toy’ – WRI’s Global Forest Watch (GFW) map – on China. See what he found
- Green Gifts That Keeps On Giving – Ready for a greener holiday? CWR’s Chai shares five environmentally friendly gifts that keep on giving – think experiences, donating, renewables & more
More on Latest
- Climate Change is Flavour Change: 3 Flavours That Don’t Taste The Same Anymore – Ever wonder why Sriracha sauce now tastes sweeter? Why some beers lack that bitter kick? Or why your coffee tastes off? Turns out climate change is annihilating our favourite flavours. CWR’s Lam unravels which tastes are changing & what we can do about it
- What to Wear for a Climate Crisis – We need to be adapting our clothing & choices for the climate crises. Afterall, it’s not the first time people have done so in response to a crisis (like in World War 2) as Wallis, Assistant researcher at the Uni of Southern Queensland, shares
- This Technology Turns Windows into Solar Panels, Here’s How – Imagine if your windows were transparent solar panels? Imagine skyscrapers as ‘vertical solar farms? See-through solar panels aren’t just a pipe dream as Masterson, WEF Forum Agenda writer, updates us
Read more from Yisih Chai →
