Canada is home to the world’s largest ice skating rink and a UNESCO Heritage Site — Rideau Canal Skateway. This popular 7.8-kilometre-long stretch is visited by more than twenty thousand visitors each year. However, this time, that won’t be the scenario. In fifty years, for the first time, this skating rink will not be open to the public. And here is the reason behind it.
Rideau Canal Skateway Lacks Ice
Ottawa, in Canada, is where this skating rink is located. And interestingly, this place is facing a warm winter for the third time. To maintain the skating rink and to keep the canal frozen, the temperature required is between -10 and -20 degree Celsius, but unfortunately, this isn’t the case. And therefore, there isn’t solid and stable ice to support the rink. According to a safety advisory issued by the National Capital Commission (NCC), the ice is thin and skating on it can be dangerous.
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NCC’s Response To The Condition
The National Capital Condition is taking efforts to reopen the rink earlier and for longer, and has called for multiple climate adaptation studies. According to their tweet, they still hope to open the rink and will reassess the conditions by the end of the week.
As for now, the skating rink is closed to the public, and this is upsetting news for tourists and locals. The Rideau Canal Skateway Lacks Ice is one of the prime attractions, and people wait eagerly to visit here. And for the first time in fifty years, this place will be closed.
This indicates the rapidly changing environment and its effects on planet Earth that are being overlooked. Time is slipping, and we are running out of options to bring this situation under control. Every climatic change, from heat waves to unseasonal rain, is due to global warming. And there is a need for immediate action.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia