The Spectator

Are the Winter Olympics suffering the effects of climate change?

[Getty Images] 
issue 12 February 2022

No snow

The pistes are covered with artificial snow and the hillsides are bare. Are the Winter Olympics a victim of climate change?

— Skiing events at the games are at Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, north-west of central Beijing. Both have arid climates where a remarkable proportion of rain falls in the summer. Yanqing averages just 10mm of rain between December and February, Zhangjiakou just 11mm. London averages 160mm in the same months. Temperatures in the Chinese resorts have been well below freezing this week. The real snow has not melted — it never fell in the first place.

Source: meteoblue.com

Jab done

What was your risk of dying of Covid, vaccinated or unvaccinated, between July and December last year? Units are deaths per 100,000 person-years and compared people who had received a second dose with those who have not had a first dose. Includes only deaths involving Covid-19.

After 2nd dose | Unvaccinated

18-39 | 2 | 12

40-49 | 8 | 63

50-59 | 21 | 205

60-69 | 64 | 500

70-79 | 180 | 1,009

80-89 | 510 | 2,468

90+ | 1,167 | 3,237

Source: ONS

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