An American-led petition to urge world leaders to fight climate change has been signed by more than 100 athletes competing in the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Though many similar petitions have existed in the past, this one was specifically created after poor weather conditions in Sochi left many athletes unable to compete in the ideal conditions they used to be accustomed to, leaving many wondering what the future of the global environment has in store.

Those who have signed the petition, “Olympic Athletes Against Climate Change,” so far represent 10 countries, and 85 of the athletes are from the United States.

“The once-consistent winters that I saw as a young kid are no more, especially near my home in Vermont,” US cross-country skier Andrew Newell, 30, said in a statement that asked other athletes to get on board and sign their names.

“The fall training camps that I used to participate in when I was a student at Stratton Mountain School in Stratton, Vermont are not really feasible any more due to lack of snow and warmer conditions,” said 27-year-old US snowboarder Alex Deibold, according to USA Today. “I want my kids and their kids to be able to enjoy the outdoors the same way I did.”

Executive Director of Protect Our Winters Chris Steinkamp said the Games in Vancouver “was a wake-up call.” He said because the weather was so warm in 2010, tons of snow needed to be brought to the venue in order for events to be completed. This caused a huge decrease in the amount of practice days halfpipe and other athletes were able to utilize.

The petition asks world leaders to reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, begin or continue “clean energy,” as well as prepare for a global agreement at the United Nation’s climate convention that will be held next year.

Image courtesy of Atos International on Flickr