Environmental Leader

The city council of Abondance, a ski town in the French Alps, has voted 9-6 to shut down its ski station due to a lack of snow, AP reports. The $3.03 million annual economy of the town and its 1,300 residents centers around winter sports. Last year, the lifts suffered a loss of $882,000.

At 3,051 feet, this station between Mont Blanc and Lake Leman falls in the altitude range climate scientists say has seen the most dramatic drop in snowfall in recent generations.

Abondance’s troubles are alarming towns in the surrounding valleys. Homeowners fear a crash in housing prices. Neighboring La Chappelle-d’Abondonace is considering changing its name to dissociate itself from the shutting station.

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