What's Wrong With This Picture?

Seriously, what's wrong with it?

This is is one of the ski slopes being used for the skiing events at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.  Note that most of the snow appears magically on the course, and little anywhere else.

That's because all of the snow in Beijing being used for the Games is man-made.  The slopes are in an area northwest of the city formerly known as Peking that gets cold in the winter but it is very dry.  As much as 49 million gallons of water were used to create the artificial snow,  an in a part of China that is considered "water-stressed." 

It's not the first time artificial snow has been used in the Winter Olympics.  Given the unpredictability of winter weather, a condition that pre-dates climate change, some artificial snow has been used to supplement natural snow in snow-prone towns that have held the Winter Olympics, but not to replace the real thing - at least not on such a large scale as this.  And the large amount of snow being manufactured for the Beijing Winter Games is not only stressing the water supply, it's actually contributing to climate change, what with all of the energy needed to pull off such a grand escapade.  

Some athletes think it's perfect for skiing and snowboarding, while others think it's too icy and dangerous.  But even if it were the safest and most fun snow available, all of this fake snow is causing real problems for the environment.  China is already the biggest emitter of carbons on the planet; this cavalier attitude toward the natural environment for a silly sporting event does not help.