- [Narrator] China's army of snow guns is paving the way
for a smooth Winter Olympics.
It's the first games to rely entirely on fake snow
and Beijing isn't the first host city to make fresh powder.
Others have done it too,
supplementing real snow on mountain tracks
for the world's best skiers and snowboarders.
- For producing artificial snow,
they require huge amounts of water.
It's nearly 2 million cubic meters of water.
- [Narrator] That would be enough to fill
about 800 Olympic size swimming pools
and trying to access that amount in a water scare city
isn't the only feat.
Snowmakers also have to battle the elements.
- (speaking in foreign language)
- [Narrator] This isn't just a challenge for China
because as the world gets warmer,
other host cities may not be cold enough
and end up using more artificial snow too.
We take a look at the logistics and environmental impact
behind China's snow making process
to see what means for the future
of the world's biggest sporting event.
The first hurdle China needs to clear,
make sure there's enough water to make snow.
The games are divided into three zones that are in an area
with low precipitation during winter
and not ideal for creating alpine conditions.
- Because it's one of the driest region of China
that's already suffering from severe water stress.
- [Narrator] Carmen De Jong is a geographer
who's been studying artificial snow's environmental impact
not just at the Olympics
but also ski resorts and indoor sporting venues.
- So there's not enough water available locally.
It has to be transported from very far away.
- [Narrator] De Jong says one of the zones sources water
from reservoir 18 miles away
and supplies nearby farms and residents.
And some parts of that route are on an incline.
- They've had to build pumping stations
to pump the water uphill
to reach all the snow guns and snow cannons.
So all the Olympic ski runs have pipelines
running underground to supply with water
and electricity in order to manufacture the snow.
- [Narrator] This is an energy-intensive process,
according to sport ecologist, Madeline Orr,
who wrote a report about the impact of climate change
on the Winter Olympics.
Take, for example, covering one track from top to bottom.
- The amount of snow guns that would be needed to produce
the snow for that for a day is roughly equivalent
to a small apartment building.
- [Narrator] This entire process requires closed supervision
and China has created its own snow making team.
- (speaking in foreign language)
- [Narrator] Since 2017,
these scientists have been developing artificial snow
that would be suitable for the region.
- [Carmen] The soil is so dry
that the artificial snow doesn't stick to the ground.
There's also the problem of a lot of evaporation.
- [Narrator] De Jong says a way around this issue
is injecting water into the soil,
creating a frozen layer optimal for fake snow to then stick.
- (speaking in foreign language).
- [Narrator] The region is also prone to strong winds,
which doesn't help when it comes time to spray the area.
- (speaking in foreign language)
- [Narrator] As much as Beijing or any future host city
may want to control the weather,
sport ecologist, Madeline Orr says,
there's no amount of artificial snow that can make up
for the lack of cold.
- The problem is there is no perfect sustainability
when you're producing a winter event
in a summer destination.
And so, no matter what you do to be more energy efficient,
the design of the event is unsustainable.
- [Narrator] The Beijing Organizing Committee
says artificial snow making has minimal impact
on the local water supply,
because it uses a water conservation system.
The International Olympic Committee
said it's treating climate change as a serious challenge
and that artificial snow production should be sustainable.
It said host regions must have
sufficiently cold temperatures
and will be required to be climate positive.
Orr says the best option may be to not choose
a future location like Beijing.
- It's okay to supplement with artificial snow.
Some athletes like that it's extra speedy,
but it can't be a hundred percent again.
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