A backhoe growls as it carves the dirt where a second ski lodge will be built at the White Pass ski area. Not far away, a bulldozer groans as it pulls a stump from the hillside, clearing the way for a ski run. After two decades of litigation, work to nearly double the size of White Pass to almost 1,600 acres is finally under way.

It would be wise to start stockpiling nordic ski wax for low-snow conditions, if such a product exists. An El Nino, warmer than normal water in the Pacific Ocean near the equater, has been forecast for this winter and that would mean less snow than normal for Milwaukee, Madison and the rest of the Midwest, based on historical patterns.

A new report issued today by the U.S. Global Change Research Program outlines the extent of climate change around the U.S. and its effects not only at present but for the future as well. The report, which draws from an expansive body of science and written by more than two dozen researchers, including Jonathan Overpeck from The University of Arizona, covers the impacts of climate change on both societal and environmental areas of the country. It was reviewed publicly and by other scientists, and approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Germany’s last glacier, located above the Bavarian resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is getting a protective tarpaulin to help shield it from summer melting. Zugspitze, at 2,962 meters (9,700 feet) the highest mountain in Germany on the northern rim of the Alps, is having its ice sheet covered for a 17th year to reduce shrinkage from rain and sun in an effort to stave off global warming’s effects.

A 19 year old ‘Marathon’ chocolate bar wrapper was one of the items unearthed at the mountain clean-up day organised by the Ski Club of Great Britain

France fears climate change could erode its appeal as the world’s top tourist destination, pointing to the risk of melting snow, water shortages and disappearing beaches in a report published this week.