http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13162&ref=rss ABONDANCE, France -- Muddy slopes, slushy peaks, unused lifts -- this town in the French Alps is living out the nightmare of many a ski resort in a century scientists say is doomed to keep getting warmer.
The city council of Abondance -- its name a cruel reminder of the generous snowfall it once enjoyed -- voted last month 9-6 to shut down the ski station that has been its economic raison d'etre for more than 40 years. The reason: not enough snow.
Abondance is the French Alps' first ski station to fall apparent victim to global warming. It will almost certainly not be the last.
At 930 meters (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.
The Alps as a whole, which pull in about 70 million tourists every year primarily for winter sports, are "particularly sensitive" to climate change, according to a study last winter by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
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Global Warming is happening