Santa Claus in the age of climate change

Shocking reports are coming from Rovaniemi, the official residence of Santa Claus – there’s a lack of snow, reindeer are starving, and tourists are walking through frozen mud. And it might get even worse! If scientists are to be believed, in just 15 years the entire North Pole could melt away. Will the most beautiful Christmas legend, which unites people across religions and continents, become yet another victim of climate change? Perhaps it’s time to start imagining Santa Claus in swim trunks with a team of dolphins?

Drama in Finland

In 2023, over a million people visited the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. As usual, by November, there were fluffy snowdrifts enhancing encounters with elves and walks through the magical Christmas land. This year, on November 26th, the media agency AFP News published a rather sad report about this year’s holiday preparations – Rovaniemi experienced +2°C and a lot of mud. Tourists openly speak of their disappointment.

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, this summer in Lapland was record-breakingly hot – in some places of this northernmost region of Finland, deviations from the long-term average temperature reached up to +4.5°C. No wonder winter is failing. Although there has been a significant cooling in recent days with temperatures dropping below -10°C, the forecasts for the first half of December do not promise much snowfall. The situation can be monitored live on the Santa webcam.

Reindeer are shrinking!

Santa Claus reassuringly comforts that reindeer can fly. However, they are not having a good time as the capricious weather seriously limits their supply of favorite treats – lichens. Under normal conditions, reindeer dig them out from under the snow, but now the top layer of the soil is encased in ice. This means that many animals will not survive the winter. Additionally, due to dietary deficiencies, a consistent decrease in the size of Santa’s steeds has been observed for several years.

The situation is somewhat paradoxical, as according to scientists from Lapland, reindeer not only deliver presents to well-behaved children but also protect us all from climate change. How is that possible? By grazing on shrubs and bushes in the far north, the antlered herds expose large areas of snow and ice, allowing the earth to better reflect solar radiation. When there is no snow, reindeer starve, and the atmosphere heats up even more intensely.

The north pole in trouble

Rovaniemi may be the official commercial village of Santa Claus, but every child knows that the real Christmas action takes place at the North Pole. There, so far, there’s no shortage of snow, and everything is encased in perpetual ice. But not for long.

In a less festive spirit, scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder have developed an analysis indicating that at the current level of greenhouse gas emissions, the Arctic will experience its first periods without any ice cover as early as between 2035 and 2067. Over time, these periods will extend to several months a year. It will be difficult to defend the vision of a Santa village in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

How can you save the holidays?

Thinking about the North Pole, dwindling reindeer, and the increasingly outdated image of Santa Claus, you can try to fight for the future on your own terms. Maybe this year you could reduce the number of gifts? Their production and transport are associated with huge emissions, and meanwhile, according to the organization Oxfam, up to 40% of us receive from 1 to 5 unwanted gifts that end up at the bottom of a closet or in the trash.

A good idea is also to cut back on holiday treats, which are far too abundant in almost every home. And in Europe, up to 20% of food is regularly thrown away. Fewer desserts, lights, unnecessary decorations, and Christmas trips are a good way to extend the legend of Santa Claus racing through the frosty night on his sleigh.