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As Italy prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympics, a crucial part of the prep is the manufacturing of artificial snow; the Olympics organizing committee plans to make 2.4 million cubic meters of the stuff. The practice has become more and more common as climate change leads to warmer temperatures and less reliable snow packs. But as climate change worsens, artificial snow wont even be enough to help certain countries host the Winter Games. By mid-century, the number of countries that could potentially host the Winter Olympic Games could be cut nearly in half, according to a recent study from the University of Waterloo. Currently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says there are 93 potential host locations that have the winter sports infrastructure needed to host the games. That includes arenas for events like hockey and ice skating and areas for snow sports outside of a big city. If countries continue with their current climate policies, though, that number drops to 52 locations that would remain climate-reliable for the Winter Olympics by 2050, according to the study, which was published in the journal Current Issues in Tourism. For the Paralympics, which occur in March after the Olympics in February, the situation is even more dire: By 2050, there are only 22 potential host locations. The Olympics need snowmaking Those remaining locations would still require artificial snowmaking, a process that needs cold and dry air. In some places, its becoming too warm to even make snow or to maintain that snowpack. Those are the [locations] that drop off our list of climate-reliable, says Daniel Scott, the study’s lead author and a professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. This happened during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics: An El Nino brought record high temperatures along with rain to the area before the games, which meant officials couldnt make snow. Instead, they had to bring in snow via trucks and helicopters from higher elevations. If the snow, real or artificial, melts and turns into slush, that becomes a safety issue for athletesand generally hinders their athletic performance. Without snowmaking, the study found, the number of potential hosts for the Winter Olympics plummets to just four by the 2050s. Those are Niseko, Japan; Terskol, Russia; and Val dIsre and Courchevel in France. Is snowmaking sustainable? To not use snowmaking makes about as much sense as moving hockey and figure skating back outside, the way it was in the 1930s, Scott says. The question, then, is how to make snowmaking as sustainable as possible, just like how officials work to make their refrigerated arenas as sustainable as possible. Snowmaking can require a lot of both energy and waterbut just how environmentally harmful it is depends on the specific location. The power grid in France, for example, is nearly completely free of fossil fuels, so a higher electricity demand for snowmaking there wouldnt directly lead to more emissions. In Utah, though, under 20% of electricity comes from renewable energy. That means making snow in Salt Lake City would come with a carbon footprint. Making the Winter Olympics earlier Along with looking at climate-reliable locations, the Waterloo study explored some adaptation strategies to make the Winter Games more resilient against rising temperatures. Combining the Olympics and Paralympics so both occur in February, when colder temperatures are more likely, would be too difficult because of the size and complexity. But the researchers found that if the games each shifted to be a few weeks earlier, the number of climate-reliable host locations for the Paralympics increases to 38. That would mean the Paralympics begin in the last week of February. Cortina dAmpezzo, the Italian Alps town that will host certain events for the upcoming 2026 Olympics, has already seen the effects of climate change. February temperatures there are 6.4 degrees F warmer than in 1956, the first year Cortina hosted the Winter Games. The IOC plans locations years in advance, meaning it relies on this kind of modeling data to make hosting decisions. The committee is already planning who will host the 2038 games, and after that are the 2040 Olympics, already close to that mid-century mark that eliminates a bunch of possible locales. Its only going to become increasingly important for the IOC to pay attention to climate science. The past three years have been the hottest on record, and 2024 was the first year to surpass 1.5 degrees of human-caused warming. If that kind of acceleration were to continue, it would be more and more important for [the IOC] to take note of, Scott says.
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The more qualified you are today, the harder it is to get hired. This is not a guess. Its a documented, scientific reality. A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when job candidates were perceived as high-capability, highly experienced, highly credentialed, or simply more advanced than what a role required, they were less likely to be hired than lower-capability applicants, even when all other factors were equal. The researchers behind this study discovered something most hiring managers would never admit: candidates who appear too good for a job are viewed with suspicion. Not because of any specific flaw, but because of what they might do. They might leave too soon. They might expect too much compensation. They might act superior. They might disrupt the hierarchy. Or, they might just get bored and leave. So, employers hedge. They take the path of least resistance. They pass on the most capable candidates, not because they doubt their skills, but because they fear the candidates motives. Increasingly, the overqualified label is used to avoid confronting deeper forms of bias against age, against education, or against those who they think may not fit into a companys hierarchy. These concerns are more emotional than rational, rooted in fear, insecurity, and a desire for safety, calm, and steadiness. If youve been in the job market for a while and you have a long résumé, seniority, and lots of education behind you, youve felt this firsthand. Youve applied to roles that match your background perfectly and heard nothing. Its not in your head. The system is flagging you as a problem. Fortunately, this bias can be overcome. Rewriting the story The same study showed that high-capability candidates can get hired if they know how to rewrite the story that employers are telling themselves. The researchers found that when highly capable applicants took three specific actions, the hiring bias against them disappeared. Not reduced, eliminated. These specific actions include: 1) High commitment to the company and role, 2) Organizational alignment (culture and values), and 3) Hunger for the job at hand, not just any job. Overall, the biggest fear hiring managers have about high-capability candidates is that theyre secretly holding out for something better. Of course, many are. They apply broadly. They keep doors open. They mention that theyre entertaining other opportunities during interviews. And thats exactly what sinks them. Like their search for the right culture fit, employers these days arent just hiring for skills, theyre hiring commitment. If they believe youll accept another offer or back out after an offer is extended, they wont take the risk. Period. The study mentioned previously found that even the most qualified candidates were viewed more positively and were more likely to be hired when they showed high levels of commitment to both the company and the position. Not generic interest. Not professional courtesy. Real, observable, targeted commitment. What to do So how do you show that? You do it three ways: preparation, positioning, and language. All three work together to shift the employers perception of you from flight risk to first choice. Hiring managers can tell when a candidate has done their homework, and for experienced professionals, preparation matters even more. You cant rely on your résumé to do the convincing. You have to show them that you didnt just apply because the job matched a few keywords; you applied because you chose their company for a specific reason. Many overqualified candidates unintentionally undermine their own commitment by saying things like, I already have a lot of experience in this area. Or plainly, Ive done this before. Or self-centeredly, This is a good fit for my background. None of those statements signals loyalty. They signal neutrality at best. They say, I can do this job, not I want this job. Lead with what’s next To keep from accidentally positioning yourself as someone whos just applying to collect a paycheck, you need to stop leading with what youve done and start leading with what you want to do next. That next thing? Make it clear that its this role. Theyre not asking to evaluate your ambitions. Theyre asking to evaluate your loyalty. What they want to hear is simple: I see myself here. Doing what the company needs. Evolving with the team. Staying, contributing, and growing. They want language that says, This is not a temporary stop. This is where I plan to stay. Long-term commitment is what builds trust. Its what gets you hired in a system that assumes people like yousomeone experienced, overqualified, and resourcefulwill walk away the minute something shinier comes along. The current hiring systems are built to minimize perceived risk. And right now, highly capable and credentialed job candidates look risky. Not because of what theyve done, but because of what employers assume theyll do next. If this sounds like you and you want to change it, you have to make new assumptions easier to believe. This isnt about playing small. Its about showing commitment, not ambivalence. Collaboration, not superiority. Focus, not distraction. Removing the risk label requires you to own your experience and your intentions, at the same time.
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E-Commerce
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced his first snowstorm as mayor over the weekend wearing a trio of jackets that had his new job title embroidered on the chest and sleeve. One was custom with a message written on the inside collar and typography on the front pulled from New York’s past. Contrary to what you might assume, being elected mayor of New York doesn’t automatically get you access to a wardrobe of customized city agency jackets with “Mayor” embroidered on the outside hanging in the closet for you at Gracie Mansion. Those have to be given or made. [Photo: Adam Gray/Bloomberg/Getty Images] Two of the jackets he wore were given to him: a green fleece from the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and a black windbreaker from the New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM). A third, black, custom Carhartt jacket was personalized at the Brooklyn embroidery shop Arena Embroidery. [Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office] The custom jacket features “The City of New York” written out in long-limbed serifs originally found on old municipal stationery letterhead from the 1980s and ’90s. The wordmark appears in white on the front right chest. Written inside of the collar, hidden from view of the cameras, is the phrase “No Problem Too Big, No Task Too Small.” View this post on Instagram The typographic style of the “The City of New York” mark is vintage, but it’s also back in vogue. Noah Neary, a senior adviser to Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, designed the mark, and the style can be seen on items like “New York or Nowhere” brand totes, or even on an “Eric Adams Raised My Rent” shirt from Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. For elected officials, these officially embroidered jackets have become the unofficial uniform at public events when Mother Nature strikes. Surveying fire damage last year in California, for example, President Donald Trump wore a windbreaker with the presidential seal on the front and California Gov. Gavin Newsom wore a quarter-zip with a bear, referencing the state flag. For Mamdani, his jackets signaled common cause with the city’s workers during a deadly storm. Political natural disaster wardrobe choices can easily veer into cosplay, like Republican lawmakers who dress like they’re going to a war zone when they’re just going to Texas. And simply wearing the right clothes to an event is not foolproof. What people remember about Trump’s visit to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 wasn’t his jacket, but the image of him tossing paper towels and the delay of billions of dollars worth of aid. [Photo: Kara McCurdy/Mayoral Photography Office] Dressing more casually, though, does serve as an important form of visual communication when storms, fires, earthquakes, or other threats arise. You don’t show up to a disaster zone in a suit and tie. For Mamdani, his jackets showed solidarity with a city, its workers, and its citizens during his first snowstorm in office with a custom nod to city history.
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