Illustration of the modern Catch-22

At this stage you’re probably prioritising your existential crises in order of significance, like the rest of us.

Helpful hint: you don’t have to stop worrying about the impending World War before you rationalise your concerns about the ongoing global pandemic, but for preference try to keep the threat of catastrophic climate change front and centre.

I kept climate to the end for a reason - I noted a cheery piece in Vox last week which ties in to the end of the Winter Olympics. The thirty-second version? A new study has found that suitable venues for Winter Olympic Games may be harder and harder to find in a warming world, with the Vox piece sharing gems such as the Beijing Winter Olympics, just finished, costing at least $3.9 billion (about €3.54 billion) - with some estimating a far higher final bill.

In one of the neatest illustrations of the modern Catch-22, Vox pointed out: “Rising temperatures mean that more winter precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, and the snow that does fall can be less substantial. Covering a mountain slope in synthetic powder can harm the environment . . . “ 

So, environmental damage means artificial snow is needed, but artificial snow brings environmental damage. Which means artificial snow is needed . ..

Yes, that’s the world we live in.