The Finnish city of Rovaniemi, marketed globally as Santa’s hometown, was late to receive its first proper snowfall this year. Observers are putting it down to the effects of climate change, AFP reports.
Snow typically starts transforming the capital of Lapland into a winter wonderland during November. Instead, that month saw a new record high temperature for the region: 11.1°C.
While snow is falling in Rovaniemi now, the warming trend is reportedly taking its toll on reindeer. Local herders have said that milder and more unpredictable winters have left their animals struggling to forage for their main food, lichen, because it is buried under packed ice that has been created by snow continually melting and refreezing.
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The Arctic is warming up to almost four times faster than the rest of the planet due to climate change, according to research published by Finland-based scientists in the journal Nature in 2022. This is a problem for the area’s wildlife, which depends on cold temperatures, and contributes to rising sea levels.
Rovaniemi also relies on its snowy Christmas vibe to attract tourists, who seek out a combination of enchanting vistas, the Northern Lights and encounters with Santa Claus at a themed village located right on the Arctic Circle, which lies just eight kilometres north of the city.
The village is staffed by “Christmas elves” – Santa’s helpers that reportedly read more than half a million letters to Santa each year. While letters from European countries tend to be written by children, those from Asia are often written by young adults wishing for the strength to get through their studies, postal elf Heidi Mustonen told AFP. Perhaps a reduction in the impact of climate change will be on many other Christmas wish lists this year.
